prophecies: how daisy johnson's life turned to shit
by spencerf
Summary: Based entirely on a super detailed dream that my wackass brain had about the AOS and some other Marvel characters. Centered relationship: Melinda May/Skye Daisy Johnson SHIELD Academy was open not only to those with magical gifts, but also to those who can swear to keep their peers' secrets. Daisy Johnson and Jemma Simmons had applied as transfers to the academy,
1. Chapter 1

_The first thing Daisy noticed was the darkness surrounding her; the second thing her senses picked up on was the frigid air and the feeling of coldness seeping out of the wall she was pressed against. _

_"Daisy..." She spun around frantically, trying to see through the blackness. _

_"Who's there?!" she shouted into the nothingness. _

_Suddenly, the area lit up and she found herself inside of a cave of ice. Sensing someone behind her, she spun on her heels, coming face to face with a blonde woman slightly taller than her, with piercing green eyes and a faded scar on her left cheek. _

_"Who...?" Daisy stumbled backwards, trying to make sense of what was going on. _

_The woman took a small step forward with a sad smile curling her lips. "Daisy, you aren't going to save me," she said. _

_"What are you talking about? Where am I?" Daisy asked frantically, looking around the cave. Before the woman responded, Daisy found herself shrouded in darkness once again._

Daisy startled upright in a cold sweat, panting heavily. She looked across her dorm room to find her roommate and best friend staring at her with a concerned expression sprawled across her face. "You all right, Daisy?" she asked. Her voice was tired; Daisy noticed that the main lights were off in their room and only the lamp on Jemma's desk emitted a soft glow.

It took a while for Daisy to register the question, though when she did she nodded excessively. "Yeah, weird dream," she told her.

Jemma yawned obnoxiously and a sleepy smile replaced her open mouth. "Do you need anything? I'm finally almost done with these problems, but I can grab you a water before I go to sleep," Jemma offered.

The brunette shook her head and flopped back onto her bed. "Goodnight," she said.

Jemma responded with only a soft hum before she turned back to her work.

Slivers of sunlight slipped in through the crack between the curtains over the single window in their room. Both women groaned when Jemma's alarm began to go off, and it was Daisy who threw a pillow at it first. The alarm clock tumbled over the table it was on but did not cease its buzzing.

"Jemma, get up and shut it off," Daisy grumbled. "Why do you insist on putting it across the room?"

Slowly, Jemma rose from her bed and walked over to turn the alarm off. "Well, if I had it next to my bed I would just turn it off and go back to sleep. This way, I need to force myself to get up for it to stop," she explained.

Daisy rolled her eyes and sat up. "I don't even class this morning," Daisy reminded her, "why do I need to wake up, too?"

With a sigh, Jemma turned to face Daisy. "You have to study, Daisy. We've been at the academy for three weeks already and you have yet to study for a single class! I'm demanding that you stay in the library and study for your upcoming exam while I'm in class today."

Daisy burst out laughing. "You _demand_?!" Daisy huffed out in between chuckles.

Then came…the look.

It had been nearly three years since Daisy had seen it last, when she was a high-school senior and skipped an entire week of classes to take an impromptu road trip with a girl she had met at a bar the night before. Daisy blamed it all on her fake ID; Jemma blamed it on Daisy's poor decision-making skills.

Jemma moved—slowly. As her arms folded over her chest, she took a devastatingly long time to fully raise her left eyebrow until it was arched perfectly. She shifted her weight onto her right leg, jutting her hip up.

There was complete silence, and Daisy knew that Jemma would stay in that position, eyes locked on Daisy and occasional disappointed sighs, until Daisy finally gave in and apologized for whatever dumb thing she had done or went along with whatever Jemma was telling her to.

It was a ritual reserved only for times of great distress—when Jemma was actually concerned about Daisy's behavior. The rarity of its use is what made it so terrifying for Daisy to experience. The first time she had ever faced off against Jemma like this, she cracked jokes, walked out of the room to get food, and when she returned Jemma was in the same exact position, never wavering.

The fact that Jemma was so able and willing to just _stand there_ with the whole disappointed-mom-look managed to freak Daisy out into submission. In their dorm room, Daisy avoided eye contact and swallowed thickly.

"Jemma, look, I—" She looked up at Jemma, who did not even indicate that she had heard Daisy, and definitely was not going to respond to whatever excuses she made.

She barely ever blinked, either, Daisy had realized after the third or fourth time she witnessed the stance. Her eyes shifted around the room—from Jemma to the desk to the wall behind Jemma and then finally to her own sock-covered feet.

Without warning, she groaned loudly and stood. "Fine! Shit, Jemma, fine, just—please stop!" Daisy practically shouted.

A smile crept across Jemma's face and she happily bounded out of the room towards their floor's shared bathroom. Daisy fell onto her back on her back and sighed.

The library was practically empty; she saw only a few students scattered across the giant layout of the first floor. She had foregone her backpack and carried the few notebooks and two textbooks of the classes she was determined to study for—or, well, the two classes that Jemma had _told_ her to study for.

When she rounded a sharp corner, she immediately came into contact with another body and they collided _hard_. Daisy ended up on her back, though when she looked up the woman was standing perfectly still and upright, though she stared down at Daisy with hard eyes that indicated she was annoyed.

"Sorry," Daisy muttered as she frantically gathered her things.

"Watch where you're going; the next time you run into a faculty member they might not be as forgiving as I am," the woman told her. Daisy caught her eye, and thought she had recognized her from the athletic department—no, administration.

Wait, no, it had to have been the history department. English department?

Daisy finally gave up and admitted she had no idea where she had seen the woman before and scrambled to her feet. "This is you being forgiving?" she joked lightly.

The woman stared at her without twitching a single facial muscle and Daisy looked down at her feet. "Uh, right, sorry." Without thinking, she shifted her books into one arm and held her hand out. "Daisy Johnson, computer science major," she told her.

After a moment of staring at her hand, the woman quirked an eyebrow. "I know," she said slowly, "I was your interviewer."

_The interview!_ That's _where I know her from, _Daisy thought to herself. "Oh, right, yeah! Can I—how exactly did I pass the interview? I mean, if I may ask," she stuttered out.

The woman finally shook Daisy's hand. "Professor Melinda May, offensive magic department."

_Oh. Shit._

Daisy had heard the rumors of the school, she had attended "Non-Gifted Orientation" and signed the giant stack of paperwork that was required and had to even be notarized. She and Jemma had gone through the same exact orientation process, had learned some of the many "secrets" of the university, but they had yet to actually see or meet someone that said something about it so _blatantly_.

"I—uh, yeah—totally, right." Her cheeks flushed red when she realized she had no idea how or what to say, let alone the fact that she was still tightly holding onto Professor May's hand.

The corner of her mouth quirked up into a small smirk. "Still getting used to it?" she asked.

Daisy finally released the woman's hand and shrugged with a nervous laugh. "I didn't even really know until now that there's something to get used it. Honestly, I kind of thought the entire thing was a big prank."

May stopped smirking at her words. "You signed legitimate legal paperwork and thought it was all a prank? Did you even read any of the forms?"

She opened her mouth to say _yes, of course_ but paused, somehow sensing that May would have immediately recognized it as a lie. "Well, I read the orientation pamphlet, if that counts."

May sighed and shook her head. "Some people," she huffed out as she walked past Daisy.

"Wait," Daisy called after her, "how did I pass my interview?!"

The professor simply continued walking out of the library.

Four hours later, Jemma had finally finished her second class of the morning and swung by the library to let Daisy know she could finally go back to the dorm. She was surprised to find Daisy _actually_ studying instead of just playing on her phone.

"Look at you," Jemma said proudly as she walked up from behind Daisy. The brunette jumped at the sudden intrusion but smiled when she turned and saw Jemma.

Daisy rolled her eyes. Then, her expression grew serious, and she leaned closer to Jemma. Her eyes darted around the library to make sure no one was within earshot. "Dude," Daisy said, "the whole gifted thing? It's _real_!"

The lack of surprise or shock on Jemma's face confused her before Jemma let out a small air of laughter and sat next to Daisy. "Someone in my class today dropped their pencil and it rolled a few desks over. They held their hand out and the pencil _flew_ back into their hand."

Shocked, Daisy remained silence. In the last three weeks that they had transferred to the university, there was no evidence of "gifted" students that they had been told about. They were both too scared to venture into the building that was supposedly reserved only for magic courses, but now—now it was _real_. It existed. "Holy _shit_," Daisy gasped.

Jemma nodded enthusiastically. "So, how did you find out?"

"I met a professor from the 'offensive magic' department," Daisy told her.

"Really? How fascinating! I heard that one of the magic professors is taking over our literature class, you know," Jemma told her.

Daisy shrugged. "She didn't really seem like the literature type—what's happening to Professor Barnes?"

"Rumor is that he and his husband had their foster application approved so he's taking time off to get the kid they're fostering settled it," she said.

"Wow that's…really detailed. How did you know all of that?"

Jemma laughed. "Look around, Daisy, it's an incredibly small campus. And all of the usual 'no fraternization between students and professors' doesn't exactly apply when your professor is teaching you _magic_."

Daisy shrugged. "All that aside, I'm ready for a cup of coffee and a nap," she told Jemma.

"I feel as though that should be in the opposite order."

"Come on," Daisy said as she lifted her books from the table.

Jemma sipped happily at her tea that was steaming through the small hole on the lid. Daisy was content with her own coffee, relishing in the fact that it was not burnt like the cafeteria coffee usually was.

They were sitting outside on a bench, the air slightly cooler than it was earlier in the month. Jemma was rattling off about one of the science classes she was enrolled in for the semester while Daisy tried to follow along.

A glimpse of blonde hair caught her attention, however, and her heart stopped in her chest when the woman turned her body slightly and Daisy saw the faded scar on her cheek. She stood abruptly, walking quickly over to the woman who had yet to notice her.

"You—" Daisy was cut off by the sound of gunshots.

The people scattered about the quad began to frantically flee and Daisy spun to see Jemma hiding behind the bench. She saw a man, black hood pulled over his face, with the gun now pointed towards them.

The blonde began to run and Daisy followed her. Just when she heard the next round of shots go off, she tackled the woman to the ground and shielded her with her own body. It was pure instinct, and everything that happened next was a blur that took Daisy three days to even register.

Security guards ran towards the man, and some sort of electrical surge sent the man flying backwards into a telephone pole. She heard someone shout, "Good work, Campbell."

Arms grabbed her and lifted her up—Jemma. She was crying hysterically and shaking as she helped Daisy up, and then she went on to try to help the woman lying on the ground. It was then that Daisy finally noticed the blood pouring out of the woman's side.

She fell onto her knees next to the woman, whose eyes were hardly opened and whose breath came out in short, shaky breaths.

Jemma was shouting at the guards, but everything was silent to Daisy. She held the woman's hand, touched her face.

The only thing she heard was a weak, "It's okay."

"I thought I could save you," Daisy gasped out as she began to sob.

"It's okay," the woman continued.

Her surroundings drowned out and morphed into something—a field, with flowers and a warm sun shining down on her. The woman was still on the ground, but the wounds were gone, the blood no longer staining the ground or Daisy's hands and clothes.

Daisy looked around in utter confusion. "How…?" She looked down at the woman whose smile was not strained and breathing was normal.

"Daisy," she said. "I didn't think you were real—I had a dream about you last night."

"I—I don't understand—"

The woman shushed her calmly. "We're in my head," she explained. "I have a few psychic abilities; I would have thought that my dream was a premonition, but…it shouldn't be possible…those aren't my powers."

"I don't know what any of this means," Daisy sobbed out.

"We both knew you weren't going to save me," she said.

Daisy gasped as she tried to catch her breath to speak. "I—you—name—what's your name?" she managed to get out.

The woman smiled. "My name is Carol." Her face grew serious, stern. "You saw me—we saw this. You need to find Victoria Hand. You need to tell her to use the tea…no, not Hand…find…"

Without warning, Daisy was ripped back into the real world to find a medical team rushing towards them. Carol's eyes were opened, distant, and she was not breathing.

It took three days for her to truly registered everything that had happened.

She stayed in bed for three days, the sight of blood on her hands burned into her mind. Most of Carol's words were lost on her for those three days.

On the fourth day, she was shaken awake by Jemma at three in the afternoon. "What's wrong?" Daisy asked, her voice feeling heavy in the back of her throat.

"You were screaming," Jemma told her. It was then that Daisy realized her blanket and pillows had been thrown off of her bed and the sheet had started to lift off the corners of the bed. Jemma followed her line of sight. "And…thrashing. A lot."

She meant to say, _"Thank you for waking me up_," but while those were the words in her head and on the tip of her tongue, she said instead, "I need to find Victoria Hand."


	2. Chapter 2

Daisy stood before the intimidating building for magical studies. Students shuffled in and out of the main entrance, paying no mind to her as she stared. Just as she was about to work up the courage to take a step forward, a notification went off on her phone. She lifted her phone to peer at the screen.

_Another_ email from the dean of the university, something about the security measures being reduced from the initial response after the shooting. There was nothing in the news—and she learned from one of her professors that it was in one of the contracts she had signed at orientation.

_Only information and events that the dean approves to be shared with the public will otherwise be kept among only students of the university. _

It made Daisy wonder if the shooting was random, if it was just some college kid totally done with the semester, or trying to get revenge, or if it was deeper than that—so many different theories swam around in her head and it got to the point where she had to force herself to push them all away before it turned her insane.

Shoving her phone back into her pocket, Carol's face—not from the real world, but from in her head, where her cheeks were tinged pink from the beating sun and her smile was relaxed and calm and painless—flashed through her mind. With new determination, she finally walked into the building.

The entire building was more…_normal_ than she expected, with the same wide hallways as the other buildings and classroom doors everywhere. However, when she peered into one of the classrooms, the first thing she noticed was electricity dancing across the fingertips of the same blonde guy that had taken down the shooter.

A target was on the wall across from him, some sort of protective material spread across every wall in the room. The blonde man took a deep breath before he shot a bolt of _actual freaking lightning_ from his hand and hit close to the center of the target.

"With that aim, I'm surprised you didn't kill any of the guards the other day!" the professor shouted at him.

Daisy turned around so her back was to the glass window of the door and took a deep breath. "…Okay…that happened," she said to herself before pushing on.

She had not seen a single directory on any of the walls since she entered the building, and she was basically wandering around at that point. She had made her way to the third floor, looking for the department offices, but still found only classrooms with a variety of _strange_ occurrences inside.

Her backpack was starting to finally feel heavy on her shoulders as she trudged through the current floor she was on. She came to the end of the last hallway on the floor and was met only with stairs leading to the fourth floor.

With a sigh, she sat on the floor with her back against the wall. She threw her back with a slightly painful _thud_ and closed her eyes. She was not sure how long she was sitting there—had she fallen asleep?—before the sound of boots clicking against the tiled floors caught her ears. Still, she kept her eyes closed.

"Daisy Johnson, computer science major," a familiar voice called out. Daisy slowly opened one eye and then immediately jumped to her feet at the sight of Professor May.

"Professor May, offensive magic department—which, by the way, I'm pretty sure doesn't exist. I'm flattered you remember me, though," Daisy said much flirtier than she had intended. May did not react at all, and her entire personality was beginning to associate her with a sterner, scarier version of Jemma's "look".

May raised an eyebrow. "All offices are on the sixth to ninth floors."

Daisy's jaw nearly dropped. "I didn't even _know_ this building had that many floors. Four entire floors just for offices?! How many faculty members work in this building?"

An actual breath of laughter escaped from May and Daisy instantly declared to herself that the sound was nice to hear. "Yes, it's the tallest building on campus. And many—probably most—of the professors that work in the other university departments also work here. As you know, all students have signed contracts for non-disclosure; we have no reason to hide this building from anyone."

"So…magic. It's real. Like, actually real—like _I-just-saw-a-guy-shoot-lightning-out-of-his-hand_ kind of real." As soon as Daisy said the words, May not-so-subtly rolled her eyes.

"One sophomore shoots lightning at a guy and he's immediately granted status as a TA and given permission to park in the faculty parking spots," May mumbled. Then, remembering Daisy was there, she cleared her throat. "Whose office are you looking for?"

The office. The events from only four days ago came flooding back and her eyes began to fill with tears—tears of sadness, tears of trauma, tears of fear. May looked around and, upon seeing other students filing into the hallway on the opposite end, she grabbed Daisy lightly by her elbow and guided her up the stairs to the seventh floor.

There was one office, completely separated from the rest. It was this door that May opened with ease and led Daisy into. She gestured for Daisy to take a seat in one of the chairs across from the desk in the middle of the room. May's eyebrows were furrowed together in concern and confusion while Daisy dug her nails into her palms and tried to keep the tears from falling.

"Counselor's offices are in the Quin-J building. I can show you where, if you want," she offered, believing that was why Daisy was searching for offices.

Not able to find the right words, Daisy simply shook her head quickly. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths, trying to keep herself calm, trying to remember that she was there because Carol told her to be—because it was the last thing she had told Daisy before she _died in her arms_.

"Ms. Johnson?" May said softly after a few more minutes. "Is there someone on campus that I can call?" She pulled her cell phone out.

"I need to find Victoria Hand—no, I need to find…I—need to find someone. I think I need to find Victoria Hand," Daisy told her finally. Her thoughts were jumbled—Carol had said _no_ to the woman named Victoria Hand, but who did she actually want her to find?

May rested her elbows on her desk and propped her chin up on her open palms. "Victoria Hand is in the administration building—she's in charge of Admissions," May explained. "Why do you need to find her?"

She was not sure if she was supposed to tell the truth—instead, she remained silent and offered a slight shrug.

Sighing, May rested back against her desk chair. "I can walk you over to Hand's office myself, make sure you don't get lost. But…if you need to see her for something other than admission's, I really think you should probably tell me first."

"I don't—" Daisy gasped, trying so hard not to cry as she looked at her hands and only saw the blood on them. "Carol," she whispered. At the name, May immediately stood up, shut the blinds of her office, and locked the door. She sat back down at her desk, visibly antsy.

"You were there when she died. Tell me what happened."

Daisy was not sure why she felt so willing to trust May—everything about this university _screamed_ at Daisy to run, run, run, and never look back. Still, she found the words pouring out—the dream from the night before the shooting, knowing it was Carol before even seeing her face, _knowing_ that she was not going to Carol before the day had even started.

It was not until she was a crying mess that she finally stopped talking, instead clamping her hand over her mouth and biting the skin of her palm to stop the tears. The only person she had ever cried in front of was Jemma, and that was four weeks before they graduated, when she found out that her final foster family wanted nothing to do with her once she graduated.

May was quiet—too quiet for Daisy to handle. She tried to look the professor in the eye, to silently plead for her to say _something_, but she could not bring herself to look up. Then, quietly, May whispered to her,—looking around the room first as though she were paranoid—"What's in your backpack?" The words confused Daisy and she stared at the older woman. May repeated, "Take out what it is in your backpack."

Without responding, she dragged the straps of her bag from her shoulders and moved it onto her lap. The sound of the zipper was too loud in her ears and she nearly flinched. There was a sort of ringing in the back of her mind as she reached in and pulled out a single notebook.

The cover was blank, which was odd because Jemma had done the school shopping for them both this semester and made sure that Daisy's notebooks were all colorful and decorated because, as she had said, _"A beautiful notebook makes for beautiful notes and a beautiful mind!"_

Much to her surprise—she _swore_ she went to class this morning—the bag was otherwise completely bare. She opened the strange notebook to the first page and her eyebrows immediately furrowed.

"What the fuck?" she whispered to herself. She snapped her head up when she realized May was still there and said sheepishly, "Sorry."

May's eyes darted around once more. "Don't say it out loud. Turn it towards me and show me," she basically ordered.

Still entirely puzzled at the entire situation, she folded the notebook back to the first page and turned it to the professor.

_Look upon the Hill in May._

"I don't understand—how did this get in my bag?" Daisy asked.

"Give it to me." It was a direct order this time, one that Daisy was not even hesitant to follow. She stood up and handed the notebook to May, who flipped through the pages rapidly. Then, she put the notebook on her desk and picked up her office phone.

The line rang for a while, loud enough for Daisy to hear. Everything was _off_—the noises were too loud, the plain beige of the office walls even seemed too vibrant, the feeling of the AC in the office was too forceful against her skin.

"Get to my office—now. Bring Romanov." May hung up the phone and pinched the bridge of her nose as she sighed. "Daisy…" She paused, as if unsure of what to say; that thought alone made Daisy a bit fearful.

The ringing in the back of her mind was still there, growing louder, stronger, until it was screaming in her brain and she was whimpering and holding her head. She did not hear the words that May said—strong, clear—with one hand placed on the now-closed notebook. All she knew was that once May lifted her hand, the ringing stopped. The lights were no longer too bright, her skin did not feel like it was being pierced by a million needles, and the sound of the air conditioning stuttered did not give her a headache anymore.

"Daisy, I need you to do something for me," May told her. Her words seemed carefully chosen—cautious. It worried Daisy, but she nodded anyway. May held the notebook back out to Daisy, along with a pen. "I want you to hold the pen over a new page. Don't focus on the notebook, though."

With a shallow scoff, Daisy took the notebook and pen from her. She flipped to a new page, and poised the pen, but did not write. "Do you want to tell me what the _hell_ is going on? Who did you call up here? And how am I supposed to _not_ focus on whatever this notebook is?!"

May stood and walked over to the wall behind Daisy. Her steps were taken with purpose, and she stopped once she was in front of her framed PHD. Daisy's sight was still slightly out of focus; she did not know what the fine print said, what the title was. Suddenly, May turned to her. "Why computer science?" she asked.

Another scoff. Daisy actually dared to roll her eyes and received only a stern look from May that seemed to shut up any sarcastic comment she had in mind. "I dropped out of high school," she admitted. "Wasn't really my style. Bouncing from foster home to foster home didn't exactly help—probably what caused it, honestly. The only thing I was good at was hacking—computers were just…it was like they were an extension of me.

"Something tangible that I could touch and understand. Didn't really have that before. I only stayed in school as long as I did because of my friend, Jemma. But a few weeks before graduation, I dropped out. A few weeks _after_ graduation, I got my GED. Jemma convinced me to apply to the same college as her—_"we can live together; we'll be each other's family"—_that's what she told me. I never thought I'd actually get in."

Daisy let out a bitter laugh and shook her head a little while May came to stand in front of her. She made eye contact with the older woman.

"I didn't…_technically_ get in," Daisy confessed. "I hacked my way into the system, made it so I was a student. I couldn't leave Jemma, and I knew that she couldn't leave me. I know how I got into that college—but _this _university? Well, I didn't hack into it—trust me, I tried. This place is practically impenetrable."

At the words, May smiled. "Maybe someone here can teach you about getting around magic-protected systems," she joked lightly.

"_Dude!_" Daisy exclaimed. "Are you serious?! That's why I couldn't hack in? That's so cool!" She was smiling now, the sadness of the previous memories fading as she focused on May's information. "You _have _to tell me—what was up with that weird interview? I know the rest ended up being real, but was _that_ a prank, at least?" she asked, more hopeful than she should be.

Just as May opened her mouth to possibly, _finally_ answer, there was a knock on her office door. She snatched the notebook from Daisy's hands and shoved it back into her backpack. Her footsteps were silent and slow as she crept towards the door. One hand was held behind her back and Daisy tried to suppress her shock when small wisps of black smoke appeared in the palm of her hidden hand.

She swung the door open, her stance saying she was ready for a fight, and Daisy found herself instantly calmed when May relaxed immediately upon seeing who was on the other side of the door. Daisy still had no idea what was going on, or who was coming to the office, but for whatever reason, May's calm seemed to reflect on her.

Two women stepped into the office and May immediately closed and locked the door behind them. One of them was brunette, her hair a little lighter than Daisy's and her height only an inch or two taller. The other had red hair—Daisy _swore_ it had to have been dyed—and she was probably a decent three inches shorter than Daisy and around the same height as May.

"What's going on?" the brunette asked.

May turned to Daisy. "Daisy, these are two of my fellow professors, Maria Hill and Natasha Romanov." May gestured to each of the women now standing behind her, both as equally confused as Daisy. She turned to greet the others. "Thank you both for coming. This is Daisy Johnson.

Maria and Natasha took a seat on the couch next to the chair that Daisy was in just as May sat back at her desk. May—Melinda, Daisy believes she should think since she considers the other two women as their first names._ Melinda_ spends a moment looking between the three of them before sighing.

"Mel, seriously—" Melinda held up a hand to stop Maria from speaking, and she immediately stopped talking, although she was not happy about it. Whenever Melinda was in _this_ kind of mood—the one that told Maria something was actually wrong—she refused to argue or butt heads as they usually did.

"Carol Danvers," Melinda began after a deafening silence, "knew she was going to die and that Ms. Johnson was going to try and fail to save her." The words made Daisy's heart drop, but she refused to let her eyes water again.

The other two older women stared at each other with expressions that terrified Daisy more than she thought possible. Maria stood up quickly. "That—Carol couldn't have seen that. She could get into people's head, kind of like you, but she couldn't…she came to me and asked me to test her powers, Mel. She couldn't see the future like that. She couldn't _know_ things like that."

There was a sudden moment of silence that fell over everyone as all three professors turned their heads to look at Daisy.

"…Only if someone else saw it, too…" Hill whispered.

Daisy stood up so quickly that she accidentally pushed the back so far it hit the wall. "Okay, can someone _please_ tell me what is going on?!" she shouted.

"Keep your voice down," Natasha snapped sternly. She stood, and even though she was probably about three inches shorter than her, Daisy found herself sinking back into the chair—now against the wall—and remaining silent. With a certain type of elegance, Natasha also sat back down.

"Daisy," Melinda began softly, calmly, almost _sweetly_, "Please bring me the notebook again." Her eyes remained focused on only Daisy, and it gave her the sort of comfort she had been seeking since Maria and Natasha entered the office. She was still hesitant as she reached into her backpack and held out the notebook to Melinda once again.

"Please," Daisy basically begged, "tell me what's going on." She wished that she sounded calm, collected, and maybe even confident—instead, her voice was shaking, wet, and absolutely terrified. The sound of it made Maria's eyes soften while Natasha relaxed her previously-tensed shoulders and Melinda offered her an understanding look, still harder than Maria's, but definitely softer than earlier.

Melinda nodded subtly, a promise that Daisy did not know if she was able to trust, as she flipped to the second page—the one that Daisy had idly held her page over. Again, her eyebrows furrowed, and she tried to discreetly make eye contact with Maria and Natasha, but Daisy quickly caught on.

She gasped softly to herself at first and then did her best to collect herself before talking directly to Melinda. Her toughness be damned—after all, she had never experienced anything like _this_ in her entire life—she asked with tearful eyes, "There's more writing, isn't there?" The question came out so broken compared to Daisy's normal speech; it made her cringe, hearing her voice sound so scared and small.

"Yes," Melinda said straightforwardly—Daisy at least appreciated her honesty, her willingness to tell her the truth so soon.

In response and slight gratitude, Daisy nodded. "I would really, _really_ like to know what's going on now, please."

Melinda only nodded in return before looking to Natasha and Maria. "Yes, well, I believe you have the right to know."


	3. Chapter 3

"Wait!" Daisy said suddenly before Melinda could continue. "The tea—what's the tea? Carol told me that I needed to talk to Victoria Hand or—well, she said not Victoria Hand, but she said…something about tea?" Her inquiry was hesitant from her confusion, her words incredibly slow as they fell from her mouth.

The three older women shared a look that Daisy had found she had already grown to hate. She threw her head back, once more thudding it against the wallpaper and drywall—it was a habit that Jemma had lectured her one consistently—and she heard a distinct _crack_ that told her she had accidentally broken the drywall.

Melinda opened her mouth to scold her, but stopped herself before closing her eyes and just shaking her head silently. When her eyes opened, she only looked down at the notebook. Daisy noticed the look of an impossible decision on her face—it was something that Daisy learned all too well in her life.

The older woman sighed—patiently, this time, to Daisy's surprise—and then addressed Maria and Natasha first, although Daisy felt like she was being spoken to as well. "Carol did not have the gift of foresight—she was simply a witch of mental manipulation, as we all know." She waited, and then made direct eye contact with Daisy. "She didn't have a vision—she was _shared_ a vision…by you."

Daisy choked on whatever response she was trying to give; her coughs killed the silence that overtook the other three women. No one knew what to do, or what to say. Although May was soon to take over Daisy's literature class — of course she thought Daisy had already known that—she still remained silent, believing that Daisy processed better on her own.

Jemma Simmons and Daisy Johnson—they were both an anomaly to the university; Melinda knew that from their files, although she knew hardly anything else. She was able to clear them during their interviews to Fury, the Dean of the university, but other than that, she knew little to nothing. Fury had restricted her during interviews.

_"__Only find out whether or not they are trustworthy and, even if they think it is not true, can keep the true secrets of our university private."_

Of course, that was all Melinda did at first—however, something she saw Daisy made her nervous, and made her search deeper. Still, she tried to delve deeper into Daisy, and she was met with a loud shrieking in her head that hurt so badly she actually almost held her head in pain. She nodded to Fury, and as soon as Daisy left and May returned to her own quarters, she immediately passed out onto her bed.

Daisy opened and closed her mouth a few times before sitting even further back into her chair and finally saying, "So…tea?"

"A non-gifted suddenly showing signs of powers…are we all thinking the same thing?" Maria asked.

"Well, I'm definitely not thinking what you're thinking—I don't even know what's going on," Daisy commented.

Melinda folded her hands on top of the desk and looked at Daisy. "There are certain types of witches whose powers don't manifest until they come into contact with something or someone with magical energy—they literally feed off of that energy and use it sort of fuel themselves."

"You—no…are you serious trying to say that I'm some weird energy-leeching witch?!" Daisy exclaimed. She stood and opened the door of the office. "This is too much for today." The door slammed back shut before she was able to step out of the office. She whirled around to see Natasha's hand up and an eyebrow raised in a silent dare.

Slowly, she sat back down, her heart beating rapidly in her chest. "Daisy, I know this is probably difficult to hear, but you knew about Carol before you had even seen her. Being here, on this campus, it's probably what activated your powers."

"My…powers?" Daisy asked dumbly.

Melinda sighed but there was nothing but patience written on her face. "Each witch is born with specific powers along with the ability to perform other types of magic. Natasha, as you saw, is a telekinetic. Maria heals incredibly quickly."

"What about you?"

A small smile graced Melinda's features. "I'm a sort of telepath."

Daisy's eyes widened in shock. "You can read minds?!"

"No, no. It's more…emotional manipulation. I can look inside someone's head, in a way, though. I can…see a person, for who they really are," Melinda explained.

"The interview. That's how I got into the school—because you saw something."

Melinda nodded. "Yes, I did—I saw honesty and someone worthy of trust enough for you to be allowed to attend the university."

"Uh, Melinda? You're forgetting the best part of your powers!" Daisy turned to look at Maria and missed the warning glare that Melinda shot her. "She can literally manipulate people's emotions."

"I don't use it," Melinda snapped. "The most I'll ever do is just help someone calm down. I don't believe in taking away someone's ability to feel their own emotions."

Maria looked down at her hands as though she had just been scolded. A realization clicked in Daisy's head. "That's why I trusted you, why I haven't been freaking out as much as I should be," she stated.

Melinda nodded and Natasha scoffed. "This is you not freaking out?" she asked Daisy with a smirk.

"We're all getting off topic. Daisy wrote my name and Maria's name in a notebook that she clearly doesn't even remember buying. Maybe we were who Carol wanted to tell you to find. What we need to figure out…" She trailed off as she opened the notebook to the most recent writing, and she held it up for them all to see. "Is what the hell this means."

**_151  
Trapped in Tahiti_**

Tahiti, as explained to her by Melinda, was apparently the name of a café on campus that was repurposed as a small convenience store two years ago. The store was renamed and there were no reminders of the name anywhere on campus, making everyone even more confused by the writing Daisy had hastily written in the notebook.

_"__Just go back to your dorm, and call me immediately if you write or see anything else,"_ Melinda had told her as she wrote her number down on a sticky note and handed it to Daisy.

_"__Who would've thought that all I had to do was write some creepy future-seeing words to get the number of a hot professor,"_ Daisy had joked. She had no idea what the hell possessed her to say _that_, but Melinda did not look amused and Maria laughed loudly next to her.

The notebook was sitting on her desk as she sat in her bed with her knees pressed against her chest. She heaved out a sigh and looked at the bottle of whiskey on the floor next to her, unopened and eager to be ingested.

She figured she would wait for Jemma to get out of class—maybe they could get completely trashed together and Daisy could forget about everything that had happened. Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she rolled her eyes.

_Going to spend the night at Bobbi's apartment—see you to tomorrow._

Bobbi. Daisy liked her a lot, she really did—she was one of the first people that she and Jemma had met when they moved onto campus, although she and Jemma grew close very quickly. A small smirk found its place as she thought about the two of them. It was obvious after their first day together that there was something there—but Jemma was too timid and Bobbi was too stubborn to notice.

With a sigh, Daisy put her phone down and pulled Netflix up on her laptop before unscrewing the cap of the bottle.

It was dark outside when she woke up from her short, whiskey-induced nap and she was still incredibly drunk. She reached for the bottle and tossed it back onto the floor when she realized it was empty.

_Damn._

She had been right to think that the alcohol was going to help her forget—her mind was hazy, the room was spinning, and since the last drop of whiskey she had not had a single thought of the day's events. That was, at least, until she spotted the notebook on her desk.

Her hands shook slightly as she stumbled her way to the notebook. She was terrified to open it, worrying that she had written something else in her drunken stupor. Hesitantly, she flipped through the pages and sighed in relief at the lack of new writing.

_You know_, she thought to herself, _I'm handling all of this pretty well._

It was then that the entire conversation in the office floated to the front of her mind again and she took deep breaths to keep herself from panicking—which, unfortunately, did not work at all. Her hands were shaking even harder as she found her phone under her pillow and called Jemma.

There was no answer, and her breathing became shallow and fast—Jemma had talked about having anxiety attacks before, and Daisy had definitely experienced panic in the past, but _this_? _This_ was what Jemma had to deal with as a teenager?

It was not until the ringing of the line was echoing loudly in her head that she realized she was calling someone else. She moved the phone from her ear to look at the number and did not recognize it. Damn, she may have been drunker than she originally thought.

"Hello?" the person on the line called out.

Daisy's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "…Professor May?"

"Yes? Daisy?"

"Uh…yeah." Daisy fidgeted with her pillowcase with her free hand.

"Ms. Johnson, _you_ called _me_. Is everything okay? Did you write more?"

Her words sent a new wave of panic washing over Daisy and she began hyperventilating again.

"Daisy? Is everything all right?"

"Can't breathe," she gasped out.

The line went dead and Daisy collapsed onto her bed, crying and trying to catch her breath. It was only four minutes later that someone knocked on her door, but her legs felt as though they were not even there and she could not find her voice.

Whoever it was turned the doorknob—Jemma was always lecturing her on how she should lock the door—and stepped inside. She blinked the tears away enough to make out Melinda standing in her room.

_…__Fuck._


	4. Chapter 4

Melinda stood in front of the now-closed door and took in Daisy's tear-streaked face and the rapid rising and falling of her chest. "You're…having a panic attack?" She took a step forward before she noticed the empty bottle on the floor. "And you're drunk. Perfect."

"I'm sorry, I just—I didn't know how to—I'm sorry," Daisy managed to slur out.

"You do realize if I report this to the dean you'll be suspended or expelled, right? Why would you even risk calling me? I told you to call me if you write something new, not if you're going through a drunken crisis." The bitterness and impatience in her voice did nothing but call forth new tears in Daisy's eyes.

Melinda sighed and picked up her phone. She sent out a text and then moved to the desk to pick up the notebook. Flipping through the pages, she turned back to Daisy.

She took slow steps until she was at the edge of the bed and she offered her hand to Daisy, who took it hesitantly. Melinda closed her eyes and placed her other hand on top of Daisy's. A few green sparks erupted from her hands and Daisy watched as it traveled up her own arm. It felt like a slight tingle of electricity that lasted less than two seconds.

When Melinda pulled away and stood back up, Daisy realized the tears had stopped and her heartbeat returned back to normal—still a bit elevated from the alcohol, but not nearly as bad as it had been only moments before. Her eyes met Melinda's.

"I'm having Maria bring over some tea. I guess you should be happy you're drunk—the tea will probably work better because of how much more open your mind is," she said.

"The tea that Carol mentioned? What does it do?" Daisy asked.

"It's a mixture of spelled herbs made specifically for seers—you don't know how to control your powers yet. There could be a premonition in the back of your mind clawing to get out but you don't know how to access it. The tea will clear up your mind and allow both of us to see if there's anything waiting to be seen," she explained.

Daisy sat up straighter at her words. "Wait, both of us?"

She nodded. "You and I will both drink the tea and it'll connect me to your mind."

"Okay—wait, like, you'll be able to see inside my head? That's kind of…invasive," she said, casting a worried glance around the room.

"It'll be fine. I'll only be able to share whatever premonition you happen to have. Any secrets you're hiding will remain safe and locked away." It was almost a teasing tone, and Daisy relaxed and pushed her back against the wall.

Daisy went over the words in her head before finally saying, "Okay. I'll do it."

The silence that followed the two of them was only slightly uncomfortable. Melinda had pushed the notebook into Daisy's hands and given her a pen, just in case anything came out before Maria was able to get there.

When Maria finally opened the door—not a big fan of knocking, Daisy guessed—she held a wooden tray with two teacups, a small teapot with water steaming from the top and a bag of herbs soaking in it, and a wooden stirrer. She hardly acknowledged the two women as she set the tray down on Jemma's desk.

Finally, she turned and nodded at Melinda. "Was I really the only potion-specialist you could call at midnight on a Wednesday?"

"Only one that I trust," Melinda told her. Maria smiled.

Daisy looked over at Jemma's alarm clock—_12:02am_. Oops.

Maria poured the tea from the pot into the cups before holding out the tray in front of Daisy. She picked up the stirrer, unsure of herself, and stirred the tea in the first cup. The liquid glowed gold for a moment before returning to its normal green-yellow color and she gasped before finally moving on to the second cup.

She and Melinda each picked up a cup and Daisy took a first, tentative step. It burned her tongue and the roof of her mouth enough to hurt but not enough to be too scalding. She watched as Melinda downed her tea without flinching.

"So, like, how long is this supposed to take until it wo—" Daisy gasped harshly before she was able to finish her question. Her head snapped up and her eyes clouded over as she stared up at the ceiling. Melinda, on the other hand, was sitting in the desk chair completely relaxed, her eyes fixated on the wall behind Daisy's head and her eyes also clouded over.

"I don't get paid enough for this," Maria sighed.

_Darkness. Again. And then—Daisy felt someone gently wrap their fingers around her wrist, and she literally felt herself being pulled from the darkness._

_When she was enveloped in light, she realized that the room was spinning, and it was Melinda who was holding onto her. Images flashed around them in a circle—too fast to be able to actually catch anything._

_"__Just relax," Melinda said, her voice echoing._

_Daisy watched her with wide, terrified eyes but did her best to focus on her breathing, to calm herself down. The images slowed, but then they came to a complete stop, without only one thing flashing before them—Melinda, on the ground, with Daisy hovering over her. In the background, there were campus buildings collapsed, some on fire, some simply demolished._

_"__You will support the end of days," a male voice said. The sentence continued to echo and overlap itself until Daisy dropped to her knees, screaming. Melinda followed her down, trying to speak to her, but Daisy was unable to hear anything other than the voice._

It felt as though they were both ripped from whatever world they had been in and forcefully pushed back into their own bodies. Daisy felt as though her chest had been crushed and Melinda fell out of the chair and onto her hands and knees.

Maria immediately stepped forward to physically assess both of them. "What the hell happened?!" she shrieked.

Melinda was gasping for air, and Daisy seemed as though she was suffocating as she held her pressured chest. Soon, though, they were both back to normal, and Melinda looked up at her in surprise. Daisy returned the look with complete and utter terror.

The next week breezed by; Daisy was sure it had to do with the fact that she that was barely even there, simply just going through the motions. Jemma became increasingly concerned, but Daisy was going to all of her classes, even studying occasionally, and Jemma did not know whether or not she was finally becoming a good college student or on the brink of a mental breakdown.

Daisy did not know, either, if she was being completely honest.

It was on Tuesday that everything turned to shit—_again_. She had been doing her best to avoid Melinda and the other professors; nothing had come up in the notebook again, she had not dreamed of anything, and she had no reason to reach out.

Then, Melinda walked into her and Jemma's literature class. _Of course_ it had to be her that was overtaking the class. Melinda did not even acknowledge her, even when she took attendance for the class and made eye contact with Daisy.

_Maybe she's just being professional,_ Daisy thought rationally. _Or maybe she thinks you're a freak of nature who is going to end up killing her and destroying the world_, another voice in her head said.

She sighed loudly enough for Jemma to cast a concerned look from the desk next to her. Subtly, Daisy shook her head, telling her to just ignore it. Jemma nodded her acceptance before turning back to the professor.

The literature class was rudimentary—both of them should have probably taken it in their first year of college, but with Jemma's busy science classes and labs and Daisy's complete disdain for reading, they only got around to it then.

"…not sure what kind of crap Dr. Barnes was trying to teach you since he always takes it easy on his freshman students, but I want you all to read Dante's Inferno before our next class. This class focuses on identity in literature—and unlike Barnes, I believe everyone sitting here today knows how to read and can do so by the deadline," Melinda finished. Daisy finally snapped back into reality to listen to her words and internally groaned. Their next class was in _two days_.

About an hour into the class, the school's fire alarm went off. Everyone began to shuffle out of the room, believing that it was simply a routine drill, but as soon as they reached the end of the hallway and were surrounded by thick smoke, the panic set in. Melinda immediately cast off to the side, ushering students out and using an authoritative voice to keep everyone focused.

It worked, for the most part—the students still panicked, but they seemed more intent on getting out together than simply trampling over each other. Daisy wondered what the extents of Melinda's powers were, if she was currently influencing calmness into every student bustling through the hallway.

Just as Daisy was about to enter the stairway last, something caught her eye—

"Melinda," she breathed out quietly.

"Johnson, move!" she commanded. Daisy simply pointed at the door behind Melinda. She turned to look and froze.

_Room 151._

"Daisy, go!"

The smoke was becoming thicker and Daisy was finding it hard to breathe. Melinda pushed her towards the stares, but Daisy just took off her shirt to use as an air filter. "We need to get to the store," she said through coughs.

Melinda wanted to argue—was about to, really—until she heard a small explosion in the distance. She followed Daisy's lead, tearing off her shirt to reveal the sports bra underneath, and she ran ahead of Daisy to the lower floors where the store was.

_Trapped in Tahiti_.

They ran down to the basement floor of the building, Melinda pulling Daisy along with one hand and holding her shirt up to her mouth and nose with the other. Daisy followed her lead, though her head was becoming fuzzy and she thought that maybe she was already going to pass out.

The walls of the store were glass—the door was locked, and when the two of them approached, they saw a young woman inside banging on the glass trying to get out. Melinda pushed Daisy back and held her hand out. She removed the shirt from her face, perhaps a mistake considering that the fire itself was on the basement floor and the air was completely un-breathable.

She held her hand, palm-up, to the door and whispered something in a language foreign to Daisy's ears. The lock of the mechanical doors slid undone and the doors opened effortlessly. Melinda was coughing, grasping at her throat with one hand while she wrapped an arm around the waist of the previously-trapped woman and guiding her and Daisy from the building.

The three of them stumbled from the side door. Melinda was the most unsteady of them and just as she was about to crumble to the ground Daisy caught her arm and helped keep her upright. It was a struggle between the three of them, to keep each other up from the lack of oxygen they had experienced.

Paramedics were rushing towards them and it was then that Daisy realized most of the students and professors around them were staring. The three of them were ushered to an ambulance for oxygen masks, and Daisy took deep, appreciative breaths. Her and Melinda looked at each other, though neither knew what the other was thinking.

Melinda removed her mask momentarily to gasp out, "I—didn't—need—you. You—almost killed yourself," she scolded.

A bitter laugh escaped from Daisy behind the oxygen mask. She removed it with a scoff and roll of her eyes. "The same goes to you. It was _my_ vision," she reminded Melinda, not nearly as out of breath.

Daisy was met only with a roll of the older woman's eyes.

Several hours later, Daisy was back in her dorm room, lying on her bed and staring up blankly at the ceiling. The rest of the day's classes had been cancelled, obviously, and Jemma sat on the bed across from her, watching with intense eyes.

"If you don't stop staring at me, you're probably going to set me on fire," Daisy grumbled.

Jemma laughed, but it was empty. "Daisy, I—I'm really worried about you. You haven't been yourself lately."

She shifted so that she was on her side and facing Jemma. Daisy tucked a hand under her cheek and sighed. "So much has happened…I want to tell you, Jemma, I do. I'm just so scared." She did not realize her voice had cracked sadly until Jemma was walking over to her and getting into bed behind her. She wrapped an arm around her waist and caressed her hair soothingly.

"You don't have to talk about it, Daisy. Just know that I'm here," Jemma whispered. Daisy sunk back into her embrace, finally feeling completely safe and comfortable for the first time in days.


	5. Chapter 5

Saturday began as an amazing day—Daisy woke up after noon, as Jemma knew not to set her alarm on the weekends (the British woman always somehow still woke up at the same exact time on the weekend).

It was not until three in the afternoon, while Daisy was watching some mindless rom-com on Netflix that she looked down and realized the notebook was back in her lap and a pen was in one hand. Her heart-rate spiked when she realized the sprawled writing in front of her was new.

She refused to panic this time—she knew that this was something she had to get used to. Although she began breathing more heavily, she refused to let the panic overcome her. _Never again_, she had promised herself after the day of the fire.

_More writing. Are you still on campus?_

She typed the text out quickly to Melinda's number, and she was surprised to see the response after only a minute and a half, expecting that Melinda was off-campus.

_I'll be there soon. Bringing Natasha just in case—Maria is off-campus._

Daisy found herself breathing out in relief. Jemma had left an hour ago to spend time with Bobbi—_God, when will they just go on a date?!_—and Daisy had already started to be afraid of being alone. Being alone meant possibly writing in the notebook when no one was there to catch her—and, apparently, that had happened that day.

It took twenty-seven minutes for Melinda to knock on her door. "Come in," Daisy had called, actually able to speak this time. Melinda, apparently, was more respectful than Maria as she had seemingly been waiting for Daisy's response before she opened the door.

She filed into the room with Natasha following closely behind.

"Is she, like, your body guard?" Daisy asked randomly. Natasha looked displeased at the question although Melinda quirked up one corner of her lips into her trademark smirk.

"No," Melinda told her. "Natasha is simply someone that I trust—it's why I brought her in last time despite your writing not mentioning her. Is that a problem?"

Daisy frantically shook her head. "I didn't mean to be offensive—I swear I was just curious. I'm sorry."

With a quick step towards Daisy, Natasha waved her hand and rolled her eyes. "Don't apologize. I suppose I seem as though I am overly-protective. There are few people I truly trust and care for—and the same goes for Melinda. I will always be protective of those that prove themselves to be worth caring for," Natasha admitted.

Daisy smiled brightly—it was an action that she had not anticipated. She found herself smiling only because she felt…happy? Relieved? Probably jealous, actually—Jemma was the only person who cared as much about Daisy. Perhaps because of her appreciation of Natasha and Melinda's friendship, she was incredibly envious.

For whatever reason, though, Daisy thought about how she wished that she would one day make that list for both Natasha and Melinda—_Gay,_ Daisy thought just as quickly. She fought the smirk of realization that threatened to cross her face and instead remained with the small smile.

"So…" Natasha began after the uncomfortable silence, "what did you write that made you call Melinda?"

Daisy's eyes were immediately filled with worry—she looked to both women in panic and short breaths before handing the closed notebook to Melinda. She knew that Melinda trusted Natasha, and that perhaps she could have handed it to the redhead instead, but something about Melinda made her feel almost just as safe as she did in Jemma's arms the night before.

There were two new words written that puzzled all three of them:

**_Together.  
Stage._**

It was then that Daisy heard the word _together_ in her mind once again as she looked upon both Melinda and Natasha. At the strange look on Daisy's face, Melinda stepped towards her.

"Do you know what it is?" she asked Daisy.

Daisy stuttered out a string of sounds that were unable to be understood until she took a deep breath and looked between both professors. "I don't know what the button means but—together? I just….it's like it's in my skin, Professor May. I feel like this writing was meant for just the three of us."

Both of the older women looked at each other with furrowed brows before turning back to Daisy.

"Please stop looking at me like that—just tell me what's going on," Daisy begged.

Natasha sighed. "Aside from teaching Russian, I'm also the ballet teacher for music majors. At the beginning and end of the year I have my class put on a performance—a way to see their progress and get them comfortable performing on a stage. It might be about the ballet performance," she said.

"So…what? Something bad is going to happen there?" Daisy asked.

The two older women shrugged at the same time and Melinda pinched the bridge of her nose. "I guess we'll all just have to be there and see what happens."

"This would be so much easier if you had any actual control over your powers," Natasha complained.

"Well, I'm sorry that I can't control seeing bad shit happened with some psychic powers I didn't even know I had!"

"Johnson, relax," Melinda snapped. Daisy fell silent. "We'll have to work on getting your powers under control, but for now, just keep me updated when you write or see something, okay? When Maria gets back on campus we're going to look into this, sweep the auditorium, see if we can find anything."

Daisy just nodded and they all bid their farewells.

Daisy's next literature class passed too slowly for her liking; she and Melinda had scheduled time to practice control over her powers and learn a few spells. Actual spells. The excitement that Daisy felt also scared her—was this all really happening?

Once the last students filed out and Daisy told Jemma she needed help with the book they were currently reading, she grabbed the notebook from her bag and placed it in front of Melinda. She raised an eyebrow in response.

"We're not doing this in the open, Johnson. Meet me in my office," she said simply, although she still flipped through the notebook.

"Professor May?"

Both women jumped and Daisy snatched the notebook and shoved it back into her bag before turning to see a blonde girl from her class standing in the doorway. Ruby, Daisy remembered. She was the freshman that had accidentally slammed her shoulder into Jemma and then blamed _her_ for it.

Daisy hated her after that day.

"Yes, Ms. Hale?" She gave Daisy a look that said _go_ and she did just that.

Ruby watched her walk away suspiciously.

The hallway outside of Melinda's office was colder than usual and an involuntary shiver overcame her as she waited. After about thirty minutes, she stood up upon seeing Melinda making her way towards her office.

It was even colder inside, and Daisy wrapped her arms around her as she sat down. Melinda took a seat at her desk and reached into a drawer. She placed a small, black candle in front of her and looked at Daisy.

"This is a focus exercise. Clear your mind. Light the candle." Melinda grabbed a stack of papers and began reading through one with a red pen in one hand.

"…Okay? Where's the lighter."

Melinda rolled her eyes without looking up from the paper. "You're a witch, and you're near a witch. Siphon my energy and light the candle with your mind."

"You're not even going to give me instructions?"

"I just did."

Daisy threw her head back in frustration and groaned, but Melinda ignored her and started to mark the page she was on. With a soft sigh, she sat back up and looked at the candle.

Seven minutes. That was how long Daisy was able to sit in near-silence, the only sound being the AC and the scratching of Melinda's pen against paper. After seven minutes, she was fed up and rose to her feet quickly.

"Is this a trick?" she asked in frustration.

"No," Melinda said as she continued to grade the paper she was working on. "You're a siphon witch, sure, but you're still a witch. Lighting a candle? Incredibly simple to do, even for a beginning. So, do it."

Daisy scoffed. "This is bullshit."

With a sigh, Melinda told her, "Bring your chair next to me." Daisy followed her command and once she was sitting next to Melinda, the older woman held her hand up. "Press your palm against mine and close your eyes."

The student did as she was told.

"Now, just remember—there is energy flowing through every living thing in the universe, and hell even in the universe itself. That includes me and you. I want you to imagine your energy flowing from within to chest down your arm and into your palm, and then into my own. And then I want you to picture my own energy flowing back into your palm. I'll tell you when we can stop—don't over think it, and don't give up. Just try," Melinda ordered.

Daisy obeyed her words, picturing and feeling energy flowing from the center of her body down her arm and into her palm. It took a couple of minutes before she could actually _feel_ it, like the tingle of electricity she had felt when Melinda had used her powers before to calm her.

It was almost overwhelming, though, when she felt Melinda's own energy flow back into her body and she gasped at the overheated feeling in her hand. She pulled her hand away and opened her eyes. Melinda had a proud smile on her face and she nodded towards the candle.

A small flame burned on the wick.


	6. Chapter 6

Daisy let out a loud, happy laugh—it was so obnoxious that she actually was embarrassed as she met Melinda's eyes. "Good job," Melinda said simply. The praise warmed Daisy in a way that she thought was probably inappropriate.

No. No, she _cannot_ think that way about her professor. Even if students are allowed to be _friends_ with the magic professors, there must definitely still be a rule about _sleeping with one_. The thought alone shocked Daisy; she had felt fleeting lust for Melinda before, but it was the first time she was actually acknowledging it.

_She's straight, anyway,_ Daisy thought as though that would justify her feelings.

"So, am I allowed to call you Melinda?" she asked, hoping that she would say no, put some distance between themselves.

"Professor May or May is preferable. Only close friends call me Melinda." _Thank God_.

Daisy hated that her brain automatically went on autopilot—she pouted exaggeratedly and said, "So you're teaching me magic and have shared visions with me and we aren't even friends?"

Her cheeks turned a dark red as soon as she realized what she had said, but she was relieved when Melinda just let out a short chuckle. "Natasha and Maria had to know me for four and a half years before I let them call me Melinda," she told her.

_Not an exact denial of friendship_, Daisy thought, although she immediately hated her hopefulness on the topic.

Daisy slapped her hands against her thighs, trying to get out of her own head. "I am _so_ tired—and it is Friday, after all. I should probably get some sleep in before going out and doing whatever bad girl shenanigans my roommate has planned for me."

It was a lame excuse, definitely, but Melinda did not seem to notice it as such and simply nodded. "I think I've probably exhausted you enough for the day. I still have papers to grade," she said.

With that, they smiled tightly at each other and said goodbye before Melinda went back to grading papers and Daisy walked out of the office.

The bar was _hot_. It was the first thing that Melinda noticed when she stepped into it—the second thing she noticed was her friends huddled together at a table, laughing at something. A tray of shots were on the table, and Melinda was grateful that she did not need to wait for a drink.

"Melinda!" Maria practically screamed as she stood and hugged her. She hugged her back briefly before separating them so she could sit. Maria sat down as well, her side pushed hard into Natasha's.

Melinda wished that if the two were going to keep their relationship a secret, they would not make it so incredibly obvious. The "stolen" glances were there for everyone to see, and the touches were not as subtle as they thought—especially when they were hammered.

She had taken her seat next to Natasha, and beside Maria sat Pepper, Tony, Bruce, Steve, Bucky, and Wanda. A small, sad smile flashed across Melinda's face for a moment when she caught Wanda glancing over at Natasha and Maria—Wanda had always had a thing for Natasha.

The younger woman had only just graduated a few months ago, and while she and Natasha had hooked up about three times after her graduation, Natasha ultimately called it off when she finally realized she was in love with Maria. Wanda had been crushed and—although they had barely spoken before—confided in Melinda about her feelings.

Melinda took pity on her, which was pretty much a rarity. Even Natasha had expressed her surprise, but also her gratitude—she did care about Wanda, but she just did not love her in the way she loved Maria. Melinda and Wanda had surprisingly become friends, with Wanda not being concerned of her previous-standing friendship with Natasha.

They all moved on with their lives, and Wanda even became part of their group of friends upon her graduation. As much as Wanda had tried to move on, though, she would still feel envious whenever Maria and Natasha exchanged secret looks or made subtle touches. The "Scarlet Witch," as dubbed by the student body regarding her powers, believed that everything would be easier if the two just became public. She thought maybe it would help her finally move on.

On the tray, there were only three shots remaining—she assumed that her friends had left them for her, and she downed all three within five minutes.

Maria let out a low whistle. "Someone is trying to get fucked," she joked.

At the glare Maria received, Natasha sat up straighter and studied Melinda's face, as did Wanda and Pepper. _You okay?_ Wanda mouthed to her.

"I'm fine. It's Friday. I just want to let loose," Melinda said briskly. Her tone only made the other four women even more concerned. "Can someone go get another round?"

Bucky gestured for Wanda to get out of the booth so that he could slip out as well. "I got it," he announced before making his way with the empty tray to the bar.

Her phone buzzed hard against her thigh and she lifted it.

**_You sure you're okay?_** It was a text from Maria.

**_I let Johnson siphon my energy today_**_, _she texted back.

**_...so?_** Came the response.

**_I just…First time I saw her, I felt…something. And when she siphoned me it just kind of got…stronger, I guess?_****_I don't know what it is. _**\- Melinda

**_Oooooo, sounds like you have FEELINGS_****. – **Maria

**_Absolutely not. Just…she's different. I mean, she's a seer for fuck's sake, it's rare and that's probably what's going on. Besides, everyone knows you and Natasha are dating—or at least just fucking—so when will you guys come clean? _**– Melinda

**_… _**\- Maria

**_That's what I thought. _**– Melinda

The two ended their text conversation then, and moments later Bucky returned with another tray of drinks—enough for three for each person. She wondered how he and Steve could afford it with their new child.

A round of enthusiastic thanks towards Bucky came from their table as he set the tray down and sat down with a pleased smile. Everyone took one shot each and raised the glasses to the middle of the table, tapping them together sloppily—Melinda ended up with more vodka on her hand than she had expected—before downing their shots at the same time.

There were tipsy smiles all around, and Melinda reached for her fifth shot just as Natasha reached for her third with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't worry," Melinda told her directly. "I doubt I can out-drink a Russian," she said with a smirk.

"Are you sure? Do you want to bet?" Natasha asked her playfully.

"You want a drinking game?" Melinda clarified. Natasha nodded with a bright smile.

"I'll even buy the shots—whoever gives up first loses. Deal?"

"That's going to be a lot of shots," Melinda pointed out.

"Fine with me." At that, Natasha stood and sauntered over to the bar while the rest of the table finished off the shots.

While Natasha was away, a heated argument broke out throughout the table—childish speak, although even Melinda was indulging in the argument. Of all things, their argument was about _Uno_ and whether or not you had to draw until you find a card of the same color or number, or if you only drew one card.

Melinda, Wanda, Bruce, and Pepper all claimed that you had only to draw one card—after all, that was what _Uno_ had even posted on their Twitter! Still, the others—besides Natasha, who was still waiting for the shots—claimed it was until you had a matching card.

The intense argument ended once Bruce looked up the official rules on the website, and the opposing side grew silent. They remained quiet until Natasha finally returned with a tray of shots for her and Melinda.

Everyone began to place bets against who would win or lose. Wanda, Steve, Tony, and Bruce had placed their bets on Melinda while Pepper, Bucky, Tony, and Maria put their money down on Natasha.

After fourteen shots in each, the two women looked at each other—they seemed to each want to give up, but they refused to give the other the satisfaction. Two more shots, and still neither wavered.

No one noticed the small group of students—Daisy, Jemma, Bobbie, Fitz, and Trip—enter the bar. Instead, they focused only on the challenge in front of them. Melinda breathed deeply in through her nose after the fifteenth shot, and although the room was spinning uncontrollably, she still went in for the sixth.

It was not until the twenty-third that someone finally gave in—to almost everyone's surprise, it was Natasha who gave up first. Melinda's triumphant smile was lopsided from the alcohol and she threw her arms up and let out a loud victory screech.

"Whatever," Natasha said with a roll of her eyes. "Who wants to dance?" Her words were slurred, and Melinda knew that if she attempted to speak her voice would most likely sound the same.

Everyone shuffled to the dance floor, besides Tony and Steve, who decided instead to discuss Steve and Bucky's adoption. Melinda allowed herself to be happy—Tony rarely cared about anyone's personal life besides Bruce, whom he was engaged to. She was happy that he was finally starting to reach out to other people.

Tony was not exactly the most social person, although he was much more talkative and willing to meet others that Melinda was. Perhaps—he was not a _trusting_ person, but he had more people he could trust than Melinda.

Sometimes, it made her jealous of her friends—their ability and willingness to trust other people more than she ever imagined herself able to. She shook her head and refused to think about it further as she moved onto the dance floor, moving towards Wanda and dancing carelessly with her as Natasha and Maria split off to themselves.

"Do you care if I part off?" Wanda yelled into her ear. Melinda followed her gaze to a beautiful blonde and threw her head back in laughter.

"Go ahead, babe," she shouted back over the music. Wanda gave her usual grin—too wide to ever be considered real, although Melinda knew it was.

At one point, Melinda wished they were at a straight bar, and not a gay one, because at least then her friends would have stayed with her. But the sight of the back of a brunette with an amazing ass distracted her enough to tentatively press herself against the woman's back.

She was slow, cautious; giving the woman every chance she had or wanted to move away. Instead, the woman simply pressed back against Melinda, grinding her ass against Melinda's hips and the older woman groaned.

The woman in front of her turned to wrap her arms around her neck and press against her even harder. However, as soon as she turned, both women froze.

"Johnson?!"

"Professor May?!"

They had spoken simultaneously, neither knowing what to do other than freeze in each other's arms. Melinda knew if she was sober she _definitely_ would have fled the scene, and Daisy pretended to feel that way as well.

Still, they were both intoxicated, and instead of addressing the issue, Daisy simply turned back around and grinded her ass even harder against Melinda. The moan that the older woman let out was not lost on Daisy, and she continued rolling into Melinda's hips.

"This definitely isn't appropriate," Melinda whispered, although her words came out in short gasps as Daisy continued to grind against her and grabbed her hands to move them to her hips.

"God, who cares?" Daisy sighed out drunkenly as she continued to grind into Melinda. Apparently, as drunk as the two of them were, no one actually cared. Daisy turned around and pressed her front to Melinda's, her arms wrapped loosely around the older woman's neck as Melinda looped her arms around Daisy's waist.

Daisy was the first to press her lips around Melinda's throat. The kisses she landed were eager, fast, until she latched onto Melinda's pulse point and sucked _hard_.

With a loud moan, Melinda quickly spun Daisy around and kissed her passionately. Daisy seemed to melt into the kiss, and Melinda took the moment to back her up into the closest wall. The gasp that Daisy let out was enough for Melinda to have to pull away and look into her eyes.

"Please," Daisy begged as her half-closed eyes bore into Melinda. "Please, please fuck me."

With a pleased smirk, Melinda slid her hands under Daisy's dress while the younger witch crashed her head against the wall. "Bathroom," Melinda mumbled against her lips. They both eagerly moved to the bathroom and Melinda locked the door. "Are you sure?" Melinda asked, her fingers hesitant against Daisy's thigh.

Daisy's eyes were hooded with arousal as she nodded, surely, and Melinda finally slid her underwear down her thighs before her hand found purchase between Daisy's legs.

The loud moan that Daisy let out was intoxicating—it only urged Melinda to push her fingers deeper, harder, faster, and soon she was holding a hand over Daisy's mouth as Daisy tried to scream out her orgasm.


	7. Chapter 7

"Jesus, how much did you drink tonight?" Daisy asked while she held Melinda's hair back as the older woman emptied the contents of her stomach into the toilet.

Once she had a break she gulped in breaths of air and breathed out, "Twenty-three."

She sat back on her heels as Daisy let out an impressed scoff. "Why?"

"Wanted to prove my drinking superiority to Natasha," she explained.

Daisy laughed as she helped Melinda to her feet. "You know," Daisy said, her voice lower as she stepped close to put her mouth next to Melinda's ear, "it's a shame we had to cut this short. I look _really_ good on my knees."

An annoyed groan passed Melinda's lips. "You're horrible," she commented.

Daisy kissed her cheek. "I'll see you around." She sauntered over to the bathroom door, but paused and spun around at the last minute with a lopsided grin on her face. "Does this mean I can call you Melinda?"

"No."

It was Monday that Jemma finally refused to allow Daisy to go around acting differently without inquiring. Daisy was already awake by the time Jemma's alarm went off, and that was when Jemma realized that whatever was bothering Daisy must have been serious.

"Talk to me," she demanded, startling Daisy, who was sitting on the edge of her bed looking at her phone and bouncing her leg frantically.

"What do you mean?"

"You've been acting strange for the last week and a half, Daisy, ever since the shooting. Are you experiencing PTSD? Perhaps we should go to the counseling center together," Jemma suggested.

Daisy scoffed. "I don't have PTSD," she said.

"Then _what_ is it? I'm your best friend—you can tell me anything." Her voice was desperate, pleading. It broke Daisy's heart a bit to see her friend so exasperated over simply caring about her.

She took a deep breath—technically, Melinda had not forbidden her from showing Jemma her powers. Or, at least, that was what Daisy ultimately convinced herself of. "Do you still have that pack of candles your parents sent in their last care package?"

At first, Daisy had been jealous; Jemma's parents had not failed to send her care packages twice a month since her very first semester in college. When they had learned that she and Daisy had stuck together, though, they began packing things for Daisy, as well. She was also panged with guilt, though—surely sending extra things would cost a lot more over international shipping.

Jemma nodded to her and reached into one of her desk draw's before tossing a candle in Daisy's direction. Daisy sat on the floor and set the candle in front of her before crossing her legs, closing her eyes, and relaxing her body.

_"__So I can only do that candle trick and other spells if I'm in the presence of another witch?" Daisy had asked Melinda the night before over the phone._

_"__Siphons don't have to be in direct contact with magical energy—anywhere on campus is crawling with energy. Natasha, Maria, and I have already looked into seeing if there's a permanent solution for you," she told her._

_An hour later, she had called Melinda back. "You're right—I did it!" she exclaimed through the phone._

_"__Good. Now keep doing it until it's not hard anymore," Melinda had said tiredly._

_Something tugged in Daisy's stomach when she realized that the entire day, they had both danced around each other, refusing to acknowledge the night before._

She heard Jemma gasp loudly and opened her eyes to see the lit candle. A small, proud smile crawled across her face as she looked up at Jemma.

"How—you're a _gifted_?! How could you not tell me this whole time?" Jemma rose to her feet and gave Daisy an angry look—or tried to, at least, but she broke out into a wide smile at the new information she just learned.

It took an hour for Daisy to spill out all of the secrets she had been holding—how she was called a "siphon", and a seer, and how something was supposed to happen that night at the ballet performance. Jemma took it all surprisingly well, listening patiently and expressing concern and sympathy when appropriate.

A blush crept up Daisy's neck to her cheeks and Jemma quirked an eyebrow. "What aren't you telling me?"

"Uh—" Daisy scratched the back of her neck and smiled sheepishly. "You know how I went to that bar the other night? The one with a super small dance area?" Jemma nodded. "Well…I was dancing, and someone came up from behind me, and I felt like getting laid and—well, uh—when I turned around, it was…Professor May."

Jemma burst out laughing. "How _embarrassing_! What did you say?" Daisy remained quiet and Jemma gasped. "Oh, my God—you and a _professor_?!"

"Well she was also super hammered—twenty-three shots, I don't even know how she was still standing at that point."

"Was she good?"

It was probably the last question that Daisy had expected her best friend to ask. "Yes," she answered quickly, without any hesitation. Because it was true—it was one of the best bathroom fucks she had ever experienced, even if she should have been ashamed that she had more than three to compare it to.

_7 o'clock_.

The ballet was supposed to start in thirty minutes. Jemma had insisted on going with her—despite the danger, despite all of the unknown variables, she refused to leave Daisy's side when she thought she might get hurt.

The two of them sat in the far back row of the auditorium, with Daisy on the end of the aisle and a door only feet from them. She had yet to see Melinda and checked her phone only to be met with no new notifications.

It had been Melinda who told her where to sit. _Practical_, she had said.

Just as the lights began to dim in the auditorium and turned onto the stage, Melinda slipped into the near-empty aisle and sat next to Jemma. She raised an eyebrow at Daisy, who only bowed her head and stared forward at the stage.

She had never been into ballet—one of her foster families had signed her up for classes when she was around eight years old, but she never stuck with it, even before the family eventually gave her back up. Still, watching the class—watching _Natasha_—on stage was incredibly captivating. It gave her an appreciation of the human body and form than she had ever known.

Halfway into the performance, however, Daisy's vision began to blur slightly. "I'm going to the bathroom," she whispered to Jemma and Melinda, believing that it was just a result of being shrouded in darkness the whole time.

The cold water of the bathroom sink felt heavenly as she splashed it against her face. However, it did nothing for the strange, fuzzy feeling in her head, and she wandered out of the bathroom to return back to the auditorium.

_"__Daisy," _someone whispered. She whirled around in the hallway, and at the other end, a figure walked away and turned a corner. She should have known it was stupid to follow, but she still did.

She rounded the corner only to be met with a tall man with dark hair and a clean-shaven face. His eyes were brown and he stared at her intensely. "Who are you?" she asked.

The man smiled. "My name is Grant. Your father sent me."

Daisy froze—she felt her blood turn to ice and she found herself suddenly gasping for breath. "My—what?"

"Your father is alive. He is looking forward to meeting you, Daisy. He needs your help," Grant told her.

"My help? With what?" She barely heard the words that she spoke and kept wondering whether or not she had actually said them out loud.

Grant smiled at the question. "The end of days." He said it as though it was the most obvious thing in the world, and Daisy turned to run back to the auditorium. She found her body literally frozen and then spun around without being able to resist until she was facing Grant once again.

"Please." It was strangled, and her throat felt like it was being crushed.

"You don't need to be afraid of me, Daisy. Your father—he will bring us all peace. He is destined to be Pachakutiq, and you will help him reach his true potential. This is your destiny, Daisy," Grant told her.

Suddenly, Grant's hold on her released as he dropped to his knees screaming. He looked around frantically, screaming and fighting invisible enemies. His eyes were full of fear—no, something stronger, stronger than fear, stronger than terror…

She turned around and saw Melinda walking towards them, her hand out with those same little green sparks erupting from her fingertips. With a determined shout, Grant stood back up, his breath heavy and his eyes full of anger.

"You cannot stop her destiny," Grant spat out before running.

He was out of sight and Melinda showed no sign of pursuing him. Daisy found herself running towards Melinda, crashing into her and collapsing into her arms. She did not care if it made her seem weak—she had never experienced such jarring events in her entire life than she had in the last two weeks, and that was saying a lot considering all of her fucked up foster families.

Melinda's grip was strong as she held Daisy up on her feet. She whispered assurances to the younger woman although Daisy barely heard anything other than the loud, incessant ringing in her own head.


	8. Chapter 8

"Would someone like to tell me why you all have been sneaking around together and why _Grant fucking Ward_ was in one of our hallways?" Fury's words boomed throughout his small office. Natasha, Melinda, Maria, Daisy, and even Jemma were all crammed into the tiny space, being stared down by the dean of the college himself—the feared Nick Fury.

"Sir, I would like to begin with—"

"I can explain—"

"I'm not even sure what—"

"This really isn't my fault—"

"This is all so new—"

Fury held up his hand, silencing Melinda, Natasha, Jemma, Maria, and Daisy respectively. The five women immediately closed their mouths and stared at the ground in shame for a moment. Melinda and Natasha looked up first, followed by Maria, and then Daisy and Jemma.

"May, you seem to be at the center of all this. Explain, now." He had no idea how simultaneously right and wrong he was.

Melinda stepped forward confidently, her hands clasped behind her back. "Honestly, sir, I was not know who to trust. It is why I have withheld this information for as long as I have," she began. Fury did not respond, waiting for her continue and she gave a subtle nod. "Miss Johnson is a seer." The look of surprise and disbelief on Fury's face did not go unnoticed. "Ward was here to…" Her voice trailed off as she considered whether or not to share the true reason.

"May, you have known me since before you even were a student here. Trust me, if not anyone else—well, besides everyone else in this room, apparently," Fury said. Taking a deep breath, Melinda nodded. She knew that Maria or Natasha would have interjected if they did not trust Melinda's judgment, or if they outright distrusted Fury.

"Ward was here to tell Daisy that her father is seeking her out—although, Daisy did not know that she had any living relatives. He mentioned that her father is to become Pachakutiq, and she is the key in turning him," Melinda explained.

A sigh escaped from Fury as he leaned back into his chair, trying to take in the information. He opened his mouth, then closed it, and then leaned forward again. "How—do not make me regret asking—are any of you involved in this besides Daisy Johnson?"

"I had a vision about Carol Danvers before she died. She told me to find Professor May, and when she realized that some of my automatic writing mentioned Professor Hill, she called both Professor Hill and Professor Romanov. Professor Romanov was directly involved in the last premonition or whatever—it told me when it would happen, and we only knew it was going to be during the ballet because of Professor Romanov," Daisy blurted out.

Fury's eyes darted over to Jemma. "And how did she end up in the security feed?"

Directly after Daisy had fallen into Melinda's arms, Jemma had wandered into the hallway, concerned for them both, and then rushed towards them once she took in the scene. Both Jemma and Melinda engulfed Daisy tightly as she shook—no tears fell, but her body was unable to still itself—_she actually had a living father_.

The dean cleared his throat and Daisy stepped forward again. "She is my best friend, sir. I mean no offense, but I trust her more than anyone else in this room." She refused to glance over at Melinda to see her reaction. "I told her about my abilities. I had to tell _someone_ that I love," she explained.

Her answer seemed to please Fury as he rested back in his chair and placed his hands on his stomach. Then, he pinched the bridge of his nose with a sharp sigh—Daisy wondered if that was where Melinda developed the same habit—and closed his eyes.

With his eyes still closed, he said, "This is bad. I need to start contacting teams across the world to bring in on this." He opened his eyes and looked at Maria and Natasha. "For now, you two need to put together a team on campus—professors, students, anyone you believe have the abilities to face this upcoming threat. For Pachakutiq to find his way into our world is for all of us to die painful deaths. I trust your judgment."

"And me, sir?" Melinda asked.

"I would like you to handle training Miss Johnson and making sure that some of her general education and major requirements are changed to defensive and offensive magic. Make sure she can begin to control her premonitions—she may perhaps be our biggest weapon in defeating this threat," Fury said.

Jemma and Daisy looked at each other with confused expressions. "Sir—can I still stay in my literature class?" she asked. Her desire to be in the class with Jemma was overwhelming; it was not enough that they were roommates; she wanted to be close to her in class as well.

He raised an eyebrow. "I suppose that you can keep the rudimentary class, but your others will be cancelled and you will be placed in magic classes," he reasoned. "Miss Simmons, you are a biochemistry major, correct?" Jemma nodded. "Perhaps that can be useful to us. As Johnson's roommate, I would like you to monitor her emotions—you will report to me twice a day. Is that understood?"

Jemma replied with a curt nod.

The next day, Daisy and Jemma had literature. Daisy found herself wracked with nerves throughout the entire class—Fury and Melinda had switched her schedule that morning. She had no idea what she was supposed to expect from her new classes, although she tried to hold onto the familiarity of her literature class up until the last second.

When Melinda had finally announced that the class was over, Daisy became even more anxious than she previously was. She nodded to Jemma for her to leave when her best friend expressed concern, and the British woman trusted her enough to leave the room.

As usual, Daisy was the last to leave the classroom—however, it was not because she needed to speak to Melinda, but because she had only just barely willed herself to stand and leave the room. Melinda caught her wrist a little harder than intended before Daisy was able to make it to the door.

She accidentally yanked the younger woman into her, and Daisy placed a hand against Melinda's sternum to catch herself. They looked up at each other, already breathing heavily from their closeness. The eye contact was too intense for either to handle, and they pulled apart simultaneously.

"Mel—Professor May," Daisy addressed her. "I'm supposed to be taking the Potions I class next. What am I supposed to expect?" she asked, turning back to face her again. She was unable to keep her gaze from drifting to Melinda's lips.

The older woman dared to attempt not to look back down at Daisy's own mouth, but she failed just as miserably. "Maria teaches that class. It's the basics, mostly filled with freshman just like this literature class."

Daisy chanced a glance to the doorway before stepping up closer to Melinda. They were close enough to feel each other's breaths on their faces. It was the next step that they were both too afraid to take—anyone could have walked in at any moment.

Suddenly realizing this, Melinda stepped away and pretended to exam a paper on her desk. "Not now," she whispered.

"That suggests there will be a time," Daisy said, her voice huskier than usual from the close proximity.

Melinda rolled her eyes. "Just make sure you're at my office after your class," she told her with no emotion in her voice.

"Oh, does that mean that the 'time' will be at your office," Daisy said suggestively with a wriggle of her eyebrows.

"Johnson, go to class," Melinda demanded briefly. Daisy rolled her eyes and left the room.

Her potions class was…new, to say the least. Since she had transferred into the class so late, she was incredibly behind, and Maria made sure to begin the class by dropping a textbook and a list of subjects she needed to learn within the next week—everything that the current students had learned in the last month or so.

During that class, however, she learned how to create a salve to quickly heal a wound. It had terrified her, at first, when Maria ordered each student to cut themselves on the arm—out of the way of any major arteries or veins, thankfully. Still, it stung slightly and Daisy was just as clueless as the rest of the class as they watched their wounds begin to bleed.

It was then that Maria finally told them the exact combination of ingredients that were laid in front of them to heal the wound—but it also involved an incantation. She hoped that Maria was understanding of how far behind she was in magic, and that the incantation would most likely not work.

All of the other students muttered the incantation and then spread the salve over their wounds. Daisy watched as the man sitting next to her spoke the incantation and then delicately padded the salve onto his cut. When he wiped the salve off, his wound was closed with a small, faded line that was sure to disappear soon.

She swallowed nervously before mimicking her classmates' actions. Her right hand was placed over the salve she had created, and she repeated the words as well as she was able to. With understandable hesitance, she dipped two fingers into the salve and spread it across the cut on her arm.

Everything seemed to disappear as she slowly grabbed a paper towel and wiped the salve off. When she saw the result, she gasped, causing the other students to look at her with suspicious eyes.

"Everyone," Maria announced suddenly, "Look to Miss Johnson. You have all attempted to spell this salve during your first class, and all of you failed. This is Miss Johnson's _first_ class, and she only discovered her powers over a week ago, and yet she was still able to complete the incantation and salve correctly."

Daisy refused to allow her sudden pride to overcome her—if she wanted her new witch-peers to actually like her, then she had to know her place. She knew already that she was no better than them, especially when it came to control. The salve clearly must have been a fluke considering she only just recently learned how to light a single candle.

Still, she felt a few eyes bore holes into her as she stared straight ahead.

The rest of the class was most likely not going to go well.

Once her class with Maria was over she hurried to Melinda's office. There were still so many questions reeling through her head that remained unanswered. Why did everyone seem like they were freaking out about more than just the whole "end of times" thing? Who the _hell_ was Grant Ward?

Why was Melinda refusing to acknowledge what happened at the bar?

She shook her head and pushed through the office door, seeing Melinda grading papers just as she had when they worked on the candle trick. Melinda looked up briefly and nodded to the seat next to her.

"So…what's going on?" Melinda's hand paused over the paper and she looked up at Daisy. "Who's Grant Ward? And what the hell is going on with my father?"

Melinda sighed. "Ward was a professor a few years ago. Fury sent him to infiltrate a coven that was said to be committing ritual murders to gain more powers. I advised Fury against it—there was an unsettling darkness in Ward; I saw it coming. But Fury trusted him more than he trusted me at the time, and the coven turned Ward. Guess now he's continuing the coven's work by trying to reincarnate Pachakutiq."

"Yeah, right, about that—what the hell is Pachakutiq?"

"A myth—or, at least, it was supposed to be. One of the first witches, banished from his body so his soul had to wander without form. He went crazy, turned dark, killed his entire coven and six more. He used their deaths to fuel his power until one coven—the Shrike coven—was able to subdue him.

"The Shrike cursed Pachakutiq so that he could only find embodiment in the descendents of the coven—and then they all took their lives so that he would never find a vessel and cause destruction to the world. There were still rumors, though—a child from the coven that went unharmed, whose identity was never known and made it possible for the Shrike to have a continued bloodline. And apparently…"

"Apparently my father is part of the bloodline, which means—I could be the vessel, too?" Daisy asked in shock.

Melinda nodded solemnly. "The coven that turned Ward, the Alveus coven, had probably been trying to track the bloodline since Pachakutiq was first banished from his physical form. They probably found and turned your father," she explained.

The information was…unsettling, to say the least. Daisy stared long and hard at her hands in her lap, trying to process everything. Melinda leaned towards her and placed a hand over her own, rubbing her thumb soothingly over the top of Daisy's hand.

"We're going to figure this out, okay? Together."


	9. Chapter 9

Daisy sighed after a few minutes and rolled her chair a little ways back before stretching. "So, what am I going to learn today?"

"Meditation," Melinda told her. Daisy raised an eyebrow. "Yes, meditation. Yoga. Breathing techniques. Even tai chi. You can't begin to control your powers unless you can control your emotions. Like I said when we drank the tea, you need a clear mind to even begin processing your powers."

She groaned in response. "So I'm going to, like, sit crossed-legged on the floor and say 'ohm' for an hour?"

Melinda rolled her eyes and stood up. She cleared the area in front of the couch and pointed to a spot on the floor. "You need to relax," she stated. "We're going to go over some basic yoga poses, since you obviously are inexperienced." Daisy huffed out a breath at that.

They spent the first twenty minutes on two rolled out yoga mats with Melinda stretching her body in different ways and Daisy copying the position. Every so often, Melinda had to scold Daisy—"Focus," she hissed. Daisy only responded with a smirk and said, "How can I when you're over there distracting me?"

With a roll of her eyes, Melinda contorted into a new position and Daisy watched in appreciation for a moment before following her lead. When they were finished with that, Melinda told Daisy to sit in a meditation position, eyes closed, hands on her knees but her elbows relaxed. Daisy followed her orders. "If you're going to be able to focus on controlling your powers, you need to learn to ignore all distractions," she told her.

Before Daisy was able to question her, she felt Melinda settle in behind her and rest her hands on her hips. Daisy smirked. "So, _this_ is what you had planned the whole time?" She tried to turn her head to look at Melinda, but the older woman gently pushed her to look back forward.

"You don't get anything until you can keep your emotions and your physical reactions under control—however long that may take." She wrapped her fingers around Daisy's wrist to feel her quickening heartbeat. "I suggest you make use of the breathing techniques we went over earlier."

Daisy did as she was told, focusing hard on controlling her breathing and slowing her heartbeat. Every time her heartbeat began to slow, Melinda would mess with her—a quick kiss to her neck, sliding her hands up Daisy's sides. When Melinda moved her hands to rest on her inner thighs, Daisy breathed out hard. "How is this going to help me to learn anything?"

She finally turned around to face Melinda, only to see her smirking. Daisy let out a laugh of disbelief. "Oh, my god, you were totally screwing with me this entire time! You're awful!"

The two women erupted into giggles. "It took you _twenty-four_ minutes before you finally figured it out," Melinda told her. Their laughs dissipated and Melinda's face grew suddenly serious. "That night at the bar—I just want you to know, it wasn't you taking advantage of me, or anything. It wasn't a drunken mistake."

Daisy let out a shaky breath, more relieved than she thought was possible. She stood and held her hand out to Melinda to help her to her feet. "Then why have you been acting so weird?" she asked.

"It wasn't a mistake, but I didn't want you to—I don't know, I guess I thought you might accidentally read too much into it. The last time Natasha had casual sex with someone significantly younger than her, it ended…bad," Melinda admitted.

With a playful roll of her eyes, Daisy backed up slowly to the desk, tugging Melinda along with her. "I'm not an idiot, _Professor May_. No feelings," she promised.

"I feel like there's a chance for role-play here somewhere," Melinda said.

She hopped onto the desk and Melinda stepped in between her legs, moving her lips to her collarbone and pressing feather-light kisses against Daisy's skin. "Well," Daisy breathed out, "is it really role-playing if these are already the roles we fit in?"

Less than an hour later, a smile was planted on Daisy's face as she walked down the hall to her dorm-room. There was a happy, satisfied sway to her hips and she checked her pockets for her keys, cursing when she came up empty.

Hopefully, she checked the knob, breathing out a sigh of relief when she realized that the room was unlocked—Jemma was probably finally willing to risk a break-in so that she would not have to continuously leave class every time Daisy locked herself out of the room.

The sight she was met with was not at all what she expected walking in.

Jemma was not in the room, but there, on her bed, was Bobbi Morse, sleeping on top of the sheets completely naked. Her hair was messy and a thin coat of sweat covered most of her body. Daisy covered her mouth and quietly closed the door again, waiting out in the hallway, looking for Jemma.

In only her panties and an oversized band t-shirt that definitely belonged to Bobbi, Jemma walked out from the shared bathroom and froze immediately upon seeing Daisy with an amused smirk on her face. "Daisy, I—"

"Fucking _finally_!" Daisy shouted. Jemma immediately hushed her and looked around to make sure no one else was around.

"What do you mean, 'finally'?!" Jemma whisper-shouted back at her.

"Dude, the two of you have had some serious sexual tension since the first day you met. It was only a matter of time," Daisy explained.

Jemma sighed in frustration. "And you couldn't have told me that, I don't know, _weeks_ ago?"

Daisy laughed. "Go back to your girl—she's got an even nicer ass than I thought." Jemma slapped her hard on the shoulder before going back to her room.

Pulling out her phone, Daisy sent a quick text to Melinda. _Teaching any more classes today? Denied access from my dorm due to my roommate's sexcapades. Round two…or, three, is it? ;D_

Two days later, she met the team that Maria and Natasha had begun to put together, along with the people that Fury had called in. Some of the students and professors she recognized from around campus, although there were so many unfamiliar faces surrounding her. Many of the people around her stole strange glances at her—clearly everyone had been briefed on what was going on.

She relaxed when she saw Melinda and Jemma standing with a small group of people—including…Bobbi? As she neared the group, she heard Jemma and Bobbi arguing in hushed tones near Melinda.

"…not tell me that you were a witch!" she heard Jemma exclaim when she was within earshot.

"Well, how could _you_ not tell _me_ that your roommate is supposed to end the world?!" Bobbi immediately fell silent when she saw Daisy approaching them.

Melinda stepped up to her first. "Daisy," she said, her voice strictly professional and firm, "meet the team that we will be working most closely with."

The group of people around them seemed to push closer together for the introductions. "You already know Bobbi, Jemma, Natasha and Maria. This is Lincoln Campbell, Leopold Fitz, Lance Hunter, Quentin Triplett, and Phil Coulson."

Daisy eyes the older man, not recognizing him from around campus. "I taught here a while ago—I was recently leading a special task force in a small unit of the Marines," the man, Phil, said. Her eyes widened.

"You—do you read minds?" she asked incredulously.

He laughed full-heartedly. "No, no, I just saw that you seemed to recognize everyone else besides me."

Daisy looked around the rest of the gym. "Who's everyone else?"

"Previous students and professors, all gifted, who were dispersed throughout the globe to keep track of other witches and ensure our secrets don't spill out into the public," Melinda told her. "Each team will train amongst themselves. This team will need…a lot more help. Natasha, Coulson, Maria, and I all have combat training and control of our powers. We will lead the training. The rest of you—with the exception of Miss Simmons—have proven yourselves to be the best choices for recruitment from the university."

"I feel like I should be insulted," Jemma whispered to Bobbi. Melinda shot her a look.

"You will receive combat training to make sure you can remain close to Daisy should things go wrong, but your main goal on the team isn't to engage. I've heard that you've received prior unofficial medical training. We can use that. And we will need you to continue to monitor Daisy while she learns to control her abilities," Melinda responded.

Fury entered the gym and all conversations immediately grew silent. "Team leaders, step forward." One person from each team stepped up, and Daisy felt a strange sort of pride when she saw Melinda step up. "Training begins tonight, and will take place every night for three hours. There is a threat coming—one that could destroy the entire world as we know it. Let's make sure we're all ready for it."


	10. Chapter 10

The teams had split times for their training, and Melinda's team was to train nights in the gym. By the end of the third hour of training, Daisy felt like her entire body was broken. Bobbi, Quentin—who insisted everyone just called him Trip—and Lance, who only went by his last name, apparently, were exempt from the physical training that they apparently had already received, and instead trained with Coulson and Maria on their powers.

Daisy, Fitz, Jemma, and Lincoln were split between Natasha and Melinda for the start of their physical and combat training. Which, that day, consisted of the four of them running laps around the gym and Melinda shouting at them to continue anytime one of them slowed down. After they were done "warming up"—Daisy already wanted to collapse—they had their normal physical abilities tested.

Surprisingly, Daisy was not the worst of the four of them—Jemma and Fitz had tied for that title, while Lincoln, whom Daisy finally recognized at the guy that took down the shooter, proved he was definitely physically fit. Daisy wondered why he was in their group instead of with Bobbi and the others.

"We're only going to spend the last half-hour working on basic combat training since none of you are experienced," Melinda stated.

Daisy leaned over to Fitz. "So, what's your secret special power?" she whispered.

He smiled shyly and stuttered over his words a bit before saying, "It's easier to just show you, but not now."

The last half-hour proved the most challenging for Daisy, as she and Jemma were separated from Fitz and Lincoln while Natasha trained the guys and Melinda trained the girls. They were going over basic defense stances and Daisy accidentally giggled childishly when Melinda placed her hands on her hips.

"_Stop_. Act appropriate," Melinda ordered her quietly.

"Sorry, I'm just ticklish," Daisy lied in case anyone overheard them. Melinda rolled her eyes and quickly finished adjusting her stance.

When the three hours had passed, the team stood before Melinda. "For those working on their powers, you will continue your training with Coulson tomorrow. For the rest of you, we will be continuing with physical and combat training until I'm convinced you can step onto a battlefield without dying in the first twenty seconds," she announced. "You're all dismissed."

They all left the gym, Daisy casting one last glance at Melinda, until the only people left were Melinda and Phil. He looked at her with an eyebrow raised in slight disappointment. "Really, May?"

"What?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You know I have enhanced hearing, May. I felt her heartbeat when you helped her stance, and I heard you tell her to be 'appropriate'." His tone was not accusatory or hostile; he simply seemed concerned for her. "What happens if Fury finds out?"

"Come on, Phil. We all know Fury wouldn't care unless it was a non-gifted or underage student. Johnson is twenty-one. She's a junior. And she's a seer. If anything, Fury would probably see it as a strategy for me to keep a closer eye on her," Melinda told him.

He scoffed at that. "Is that what it is? A strategy?"

"Relax. It's just…casual. Nothing more," she said. Something in her voice seemed unsure, dishonest in a way that she did not know how to describe.

"Well, I trust you know what you're doing, and if it becomes a problem—"

"I'll end it," May told him before he had the chance to continue. She walked away and stopped at the door to turn her head and smirk at him. "Just like I did with you."

Daisy's classes did not begin until nine in the morning, but her alarm went off at five. Jemma actually hissed at her to shut it off—she was surprised at how greatly the tables had turned for them. She, also, was unhappy at the sound of her alarm, but Melinda had insisted that they practiced her control and powers before her classes.

_"__Waking up early and establishing a routine will help you,"_ she had told Daisy.

She grumbled to herself while she shed her clothes and got into the shower, turning the water on colder than normal in an attempt to wake herself up. It worked enough for her to towel off and get dressed, but it was the cool air outside that really helped.

The walk across campus was completely silent—the crickets had already gone to sleep and the birds had yet to wake up. By the time she was outside of the building, her shoes were wet with the morning dew and her throat felt slightly frozen. She was glad for the changing weather; she had always favored fall, the chill in the air, and the leaves under her feet. It was only a few more weeks' time before it truly set in.

She knocked quietly on Melinda's office door, as if there were anyone around actually sleeping. It took over a minute before Melinda finally opened the door and stepped to the side for Daisy to enter.

"How do you look so awake?" Daisy asked tiredly. She noticed the yoga mat that was already spread out and the steaming travel mug of what she assumed was coffee. "Oh, that explains it. I wish the café was open this early for me to stop by."

Melinda quirked an eyebrow. "That's tea, Daisy," she stated simply. The younger woman opened her mouth to say something, but decided she was better off remaining silent. Melinda chuckled. "Like I said, a routine helps control. It also builds character.

The younger woman grumbled in response and sat in the chair that she had already claimed as her own. Melinda clicked her tongue and shook her head. "What?" she asked.

"Stand up. Today you get to learn actual spells." The speed at which Daisy stood up excitedly almost surprised Melinda, but she had already expected the reaction from the young witch. "Nothing too big—just a few spells that focus on energy."

Daisy was giddy. "Like what?" she questioned happily.

"Well, I'd like to start with you trying to physically manifest your energy—it's literally just creating a ball of pure, raw energy. It requires a lot of focus, so you will be working on control at the same time," Melinda told her.

It took an hour of Daisy trying to focus and Melinda trying to coach her through the exercise before Daisy decided she wanted to give up. "This obviously isn't working," Daisy said exasperatedly.

Melinda sighed—not in disappointment, but because she felt bad that Daisy did not believe in herself enough. "Do you remember our energy-sharing exercise?" she asked. Daisy nodded. "Then think about that. Cup your hands, and do what you did then—focus your energy, move it from inside of you to your shoulders, down your arms, and into your hands. You need to _feel_ it and will it to move where you want it to go. And, close your eyes, don't keep them open. Really picture in your head the energy forming in the palms of your hands and manifesting physically."

Daisy looked at her with uncertainty.

"Daisy, you can do this." It was probably the name—_Daisy _instead of the usual _Johnson_, the sort of intimacy that Daisy believed followed it—that made her feel confident for the first time that day. She nodded, sure of herself for the most part, and closed her eyes while re-cupping her hands in her lap.

Surely enough, only four minutes later, Melinda smiled proudly at the bright ball of energy forming itself in Daisy's hands. Daisy, with her eyes still closed, was completely unaware, and Melinda was afraid that interrupting her would disrupt the exercise.

Melinda had personally done—and taught students—this exercise since she was a wide-eyed, fifteen year old witch just coming to understand her powers. It was not a dangerous exercise in any way. The energy ball never grew past a foot in diameter, never affected anything around it, as that was the usual for every witch she had ever encountered. Yes, the ball was a potential weapon, but only when utilized as such—simply forming it was benign.

She found herself surprised, and almost panicked, when the energy ball in Daisy's palms grew and grew until the lights began to flicker and it dispersed throughout the entire office. All frames hanging on her wall fell, and she felt herself knocked back into the wall too forcefully for her liking.

At the sound of shattering glass and Melinda's body colliding hard against the wall, Daisy opened her eyes and gasped sharply before scrambling to her feet. "Are you okay?!" she screeched.

"I'm fine," Melinda said, brushing herself off.

The next few weeks continued without much noise. Daisy would go to Melinda's office during ungodly hours of the morning, attend classes, and then meet her team in the gym at night. Her control of her powers increased at a rate that alarmed even Melinda, and her combat skills improved over the time of her training.

She found herself growing closer to the makeshift team of oddballs, and grew fond of Coulson. Lincoln soon became a friend, and she noticed as Fitz and Jemma became good friends as well while her relationship with Bobbi developed more deeply.

Daisy and Melinda became closer as well—they had continued their physical relationship without a hitch. The only thing that worried Daisy, however, was when she noticed the warmth that spread throughout her chest every time she saw Melinda smile or heard her laugh, or just went to see her in general. She did her best to push down whatever feelings were attempting to form within her.

Even with the control over her powers, Daisy had not had a single vision. Whatever evil was lurking in the shadows was slow to make their first move. The tension on campus continued to grow to discomfort; a sort of hush fell over the university as those who were in the loop waited anxiously for their impending doom.

Scouting teams returned with no new information on the Alveus coven—they all seemed to be ghosts at that point. It was not until a quiet Tuesday night post-training when Daisy was sitting on her bed with a textbook in her lap that it finally happened.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N yeah so i don't really put notes in the chapters except for on ao3 for this story oops just figured i'd let you know yes there are gonna be a shitton of inconsistencies and grammar/spelling errors because ever since the first chapter i have promised to only work on this story when i'm shit-faced. up until now it was bourbon/green apple vodka but i just discovered "KINKY" so that's what im fucked up on the twelfth chapter lmfaooooo loves you bitches leave a comment/like because it fuels my ego and also helps my crippling inferiority complex and self-doubt

Daisy's voice was frantic as she babbled through the mic on her phone while Melinda tried to calm her enough to speak clearly. It took six minutes for Daisy to finally stop hyperventilating and be able to gasp the words out a bit clearer.

"The notebook—I wrote something in the notebook and I saw it. I _saw_ it, Melinda. Something's happening—tonight," she said.

"Come to my room. Now. I'm going to call Fury and our team," Melinda told her. Her voice was calmer than Daisy could have ever expected.

"Okay," she replied breathily. "I'm on my way now."

The air was finally brisk enough at that time for Daisy's own enjoyment, yet the worry eating away at her caused her not to feel the welcome prick of coldness on her skin. Her steps were rushed, sloppy, and she nearly tripped multiple times as she neared the faculty quarters.

Just as she was about to enter the building, she felt strong arms pull her back, and then she was devoured by unconsciousness.

An hour later, the gym was packed. Fury was barking out orders to all of the other teams while Melinda commanded her own. Natasha and Maria watched her with slight concern, noting the way that while she was still calmer than everyone else, there was a certain panic in her eyes that they had never seen.

As Fury finished his speech, everyone began talking over each other, the volume of each voice rising until it was one large argument amongst them all. Melinda walked up to Coulson and unholstered the gun from his hip before firing a single shot into the ceiling, effectively silencing the entire gym.

Fury looked as though he was about to completely flip out on her—maybe even fire her—but he seemed to give her the benefit of the doubt as he remained quiet and only stared at her sternly. "My team will find Daisy. The rest of you need to go back out on scouting missions—we have already been briefed on the whispers of members of Alveus being in Belgium. Find them. Now."

An older man, probably once a professor, stepped forward. "Why should your team waste time finding the girl? We already know that she is going to be _directly_ involved in raising Pachakutiq. Shouldn't we be, you know, acknowledging that a bit more? Maybe the fact that she's missing is a good thing."

Melinda stepped forward with her jaw clenched. "We find the girl. We find the coven. And we stop the raising of Pachakutiq. That is _final_, Garrett." The man, Garrett, looked to Fury, but the dean of the college only gave a single nod to affirm what Melinda had said.

"May is right. Everyone has their orders—move," Fury shouted.

As the gym began to clear, Natasha stepped forward and placed a hand on Melinda's elbow. "Hey," she whispered, "we'll find her, okay?"

Melinda nodded slowly. "I'm going to kill whoever took her."

Daisy woke up to a drop of water hitting her face. She opened her eyes slowly, blinking to adjust to the bright lights of where she was—a basement, it looked like. The back of a tall man came into view and she immediately scooted back from where she was sitting until her back hit a wall.

She noticed there were no restraints, and she tried to figure out a plan while the man turned around. As soon as he saw her awake, a large, bright smile appeared on his face and it took Daisy completely by surprise.

"Daisy!" he exclaimed. "I'm—I'm really sorry for the way I had to bring you here, really, I am, but it had to look like someone took you and if I tried to make contact before then the coven would have known and—" He stopped abruptly and took in a deep breath. "I'm sorry, it's just—you're here! You're here, right in front of me, for the first time in twenty-one years." He sighed happily.

"Who the _fuck_ are you?" Daisy spat out at him.

The man's smile immediately turned into a sad frown and he sat on the floor across from her. "My name is Cal. I'm…I'm your father."

The team followed closely behind Melinda as she stomped down the residency halls. Jemma would have thought that they all looked like bad-asses if her thoughts were not entirely occupied by her worry for her friend. Bobbi had not let go of Jemma's hand since they were called into the gym and told the news.

"Who are we going to get?" Jemma whispered to Bobbi.

Bobbi leaned in a bit closer, not wanting Melinda to overhear them talking—it had been strictly silence since the gym. "Her name is Ruby Hale. She's only a freshman but she has the ability to sense where people are. She's also a major bitch. I think May is hoping that she'll be able to find out where Daisy is."

The British woman looked over at another woman, one who had joined the team that day. She wore a red leather jacket and Jemma noticed her continuously eyeing Natasha. "And her?"

"Wanda Maximoff. She graduated, probably one of the best students and witches the university has ever seen," Bobbi told her.

Melinda came to a halt in front of a door and the rest of the team followed suit. She pounded a small fist against the door, clearly not caring that it was nearing midnight, and waited impatiently until the blonde freshman opened the door in her pajamas.

Her face immediately flushed once she saw the group of people in the hallway. "P—Professor May? Is everything all right?"

"I need you to find someone," Melinda told her flatly. "Daisy Johnson. This is hers—I got it from her dorm room." She handed one of Daisy's t-shirts to Ruby, one that most definitely was not from her dorm room but had been left behind in Melinda's room one previous night.

"Uh…okay…is everything okay? Is something wrong?" she asked.

"Miss Hale, please located Miss Johnson and if you prove to be useful then I will have someone fill you in."

Ruby seemed taken aback by Melinda's brisk tone, but she gingerly took the shirt from her and nodded dumbly before going back into her room. Everyone shuffled into the small dorm as Ruby grabbed a giant globe and multiple maps from her desk and sat on the floor with it all.

She focused her hands over the globe, holding a thumb tack in one hand. The globe began spinning quickly until it Ruby dropped the thumbtack and the globe stopped suddenly. She hummed softly. "Convenient," she said absently to herself while she pulled out one of the maps.

She picked up the thumbtack again and dropped it over the map with her eyes closed. It moved itself over in midair before landing and Jemma suppressed a shocked gasp. She did not think she was ever going to get use to seeing someone use magic. One of Ruby's eyebrows raised and she pulled out a different map—this one was of the campus. Once again, she held the thumbtack over the campus map and dropped it, then looked up at Melinda.

"She's in the basement of the administration's building," Ruby told them. Before anyone was able to speak, Melinda turned and exited the room, leaving everyone else to hastily follow after her.

Daisy sat in stunned silence while she stared at the man who claimed himself as her father. He watched her patiently, allowing the information to sink in, and she had no idea how to wrap her head around it. Finally, after a while, she began laughing. He looked shocked and concerned as he waited for her to calm herself.

"You—" Daisy laughed out, "you're my father? You are my evil, vessel-of-Pachakutiq, bringer-of-the-end-of-the-world father?"

He sighed. "There's so much you don't know—that's why I had to see you."

"What don't I know? Do I not know that you abandoned me for your own plans of destroying the world?" Daisy asked him bitterly. She finally stopped laughing.

"I did_ not_ abandon you—I had to hide you away, put you into the system for your own protection. And the plan, it wasn't mine. I didn't want this, and I definitely didn't want this to be your life, Daisy. I don't know how she found you—she wasn't supposed to find you!" He stood and began pacing around frantically.

Daisy stood slowly. "Who wasn't supposed to find me? Why were you trying to hide me?"

"Your mother. She—we didn't know at first, when we got together. She was part of the Alveus coven, but she didn't know I was the last descendant of the Shrike coven until after she was already pregnant with you. Once I found out what it meant, what she planned, I knew I had to do something as soon as you were born. So…I called an old friend, had him take you out of the country and back to the states—we were staying in Europe at the time—and I refused to give him any details. I couldn't have the Alveus witches use you like that," he explained. Tears filled his eyes, and for whatever reason, Daisy actually believed him.

Daisy's voice broke as she spoke. "How do I know you're telling the truth?" Just as Cal was going to answer, the door to the basement burst open, Melinda entered with a gun pointed directly at Cal. "Wait!" Daisy shouted at her.

Melinda was visibly surprised and kept the gun pointed at Cal, but gave a brief nod of acknowledgement. Natasha, Maria, Coulson, and Fury filed into the basement, all ready for a fight.

It was Fury who stepped forward first. "…Cal?"

"Well," Cal began, "I guess we all have a lot to talk about."


	12. Chapter 12

It took forty-seven minutes for Melinda to finally lower her gun while she stood protectively by Daisy's side the entire time. It took one hour and sixteen minutes after bursting into the room for Melinda to finally trust Daisy and Fury's words and hand the gun back to Coulson. Three hours later, everyone had laid everything out in the open, and Daisy and Melinda touched shoulders subtly, offering the slightest bit of physical comfort without drawing too much suspicion.

Fury. Nick-fucking-Fury had been the long-time friend of Cal that had taken Daisy and hidden her away in the American foster care system. Daisy had no idea how to handle the information. Did she blame Fury for her shitty life in foster care? Or Cal? Her mother? Or maybe even herself? When Melinda had sensed Daisy's increased tension, she pressed her shoulder harder against the younger woman's.

Cal had explained the story to everyone else—meeting Daisy's mother (_Jaiying_, he had said her name was, and Daisy pretended that her heart did not clench at learning the name of her birth mother), learning about his bloodline, meeting the Alveus coven. Everything seemed like an awful nightmare.

It had been Fury who trusted him immediately. Apparently, they had been closer than any of them would have imagined before Fury ran the university and Cal joined the Alveus coven to keep them off of Daisy's trail.

He explained that because of the intense, combined energy of all the witches in that one concentrated area, the Alveus coven would more than likely figure out he was up to no good. He had been able to mask Daisy's energy, and those on the campus were not close enough for Alveus to track. However, he was still being tracked, and the infiltration of the basement would definitely have alerted those tracking him.

Everyone in the room was completely shocked when Fury stepped forward and offered Cal protection from the university. Daisy had prepared to step forward, but Melinda quickly and firmly grabbed her arm, holding her in place. She knew that Fury had reached his limit of being challenged for the day, and Daisy seemed to understand while she remained still but kept her fists clenched.

Once Cal had finished explaining everything to everyone—and Daisy hated the coincidence that, without outside intervention, she was attending the university of the man who had hidden her from the world—they made plans to file out and return to their dorms. Fury had already sent an email to the entire campus cancelling all classes the next day so that all of the remaining teams were able to meet in the morning.

Melinda stood between Daisy and Cal, making sure he was unable to make any unwanted contact or conversation. Silently, Daisy was grateful—she tried constantly to look into Melinda's eyes, to show her the gratitude, but Melinda's gaze remained focused ahead and her stare was stone.

Soon, the team had broken apart, and Cal gave Daisy one last pained look before Fury led him elsewhere. Jemma followed Bobbi to her own dorm, and Melinda and Daisy walked side by side to Daisy's dorm. Melinda refused to leave her side—she doubted that she was going to sleep that night, but she already knew that she was going to be perfectly content in sitting in Daisy's desk chair and watching over her while she slept to make sure she was safe.

She hated the way she was feeling, the way her heart seemed to freeze completely at the idea of Daisy ever being hurt. It was unbeknownst to her, however, that Daisy was struggling with similar feelings. When she was taken, she feared for her life, and the two people she wanted to speak to the most—for last goodbyes—were Jemma and Melinda. Her yearning for seeing Melinda before she died was surprising, and terrifying, and she knew that she had felt similar feelings before but she hated that she finally had to face them.

They were nearing the residency building that Daisy stayed in when Melinda suddenly froze, sensing someone behind her. She pulled Daisy to a halt and the younger woman gasped sharply before following Melinda's slow gaze to the figure behind them both.

"I assume you've been following us for a while. Why haven't I been able to sense you until now?" Melinda asked, voice even and cool.

The woman stepped forward, a vicious smile on her face and a knife in her hand. "As much as I'd like to kill you both right now, I'm under orders to spare that one." She pointed the tip of the knife at Daisy and then turned to Melinda. "You, however…"

She rushed towards Melinda, who easily side stepped her and landed a knee against the stranger's ribs, effectively knocking her to the ground. The woman growled as she stood quickly and before Daisy was even able to blink, the stranger was somehow standing behind her, knife against her throat.

"Do you know why I'm not usually trusted with missions?" the woman sneered. "I'm not really good at following orders." Melinda moved to step forward, but the woman pressed the knife to Daisy's throat until a small trickle of blood slipped down her neck. "Another move and I'll slit her throat."

"Why couldn't I sense you?" Melinda questioned. _Probably not the question you should be asking right now,_ Daisy thought.

The woman giggled. "You can call me Snowflake. I'm pretty good at cloaking myself," the woman—Snowflake—explained. "All of this talking is boring me," she said, even though she had been talking the most. "Cal Johnson hasn't been seen in the last seven hours—we know you took him."

Melinda stifled the scoff that threatened to escape. "Whoever that is, we don't have him," she said. Daisy had no idea how she was able to remain so expressionless and calm. Of course, on the other hand, Daisy was trying to control her fear at the feeling of the cold knife against her skin.

"I don't know why Alveus needs her, but I doubt they'll miss her in the end as long as I get Cal back. Bring him to me or she dies," Snowflake threatened.

Daisy—hell, even Melinda—had no idea how it happened. It started as just an intense bubbling in Daisy's chest, something raw and powerful and terrifying, and then there was a bright flash before everyone was sent flying away from each other. Melinda landed hard on her back against the concrete of the sidewalk, and when she opened her eyes, Snowflake was gone and Daisy was lying unconscious on the ground, her side pressed against the wall of the building.

Melinda rushed to her and gathered her in her arms, pushing her hair out of her face as the younger woman groaned and stirred. "Ow," she grumbled out as she slowly opened her eyes. "Did I almost just die? It feels like I almost just died and if I almost just died I think I should probably tell you that I have, like, really gay feelings for you."

The professor laughed and kissed her gently on the cheek, ignoring the burning in her eyes from the tears threatening to fall. "We really, _really_ need to get inside and call Fury," Melinda said as she helped an unsteady Daisy to her feet.

"Why does everything keep getting more and more complicated?" Daisy whined.

"Are you really asking that to a professor who teaches at a university that has a secret portion of witches for students?" Melinda replied with a raised eyebrow.

Daisy rubbed at her eyes. "What the hell is my life turning into?"


	13. Chapter 13

It had been two days since Daisy literally flung herself into a concrete wall, and the bruising on her torso was only slightly lightened. She and Melinda had been fluttering around each other, tension building as they both thought of ways to approach Daisy's "near-death" confession.

Fury had ordered Melinda's team—Daisy thought maybe it he would have called it _her_ team since it was basically built around her—to stay on campus after the attack while all other teams were sent out to find leads on the Alveus coven. Daisy had actively been avoiding Cal, and she was happy that he had not sent someone to press her to visit him.

He was hiding away in the basement of the faculty residency building and Fury had hired people to transform the basement into a make-shift room. There were times over the last couple of days where Daisy had paused in front of building while walking to class, daring herself to go inside, to talk to him, to see if maybe there a chance of one day seeing some sort of resemblance of a father.

Jemma had watched her warily over the last two days, noticing a shift in Daisy's demeanor that frightened her more than anything. While Daisy seemed more determined, she also seemed to have detached herself quite significantly. She hardly spoke to Jemma, or acknowledged her, and she held the same habits around everyone else. The morning of the second day, Jemma had gone to Melinda's office, and the older woman only shared the same concerns, although with less words and in a completely professional manner.

On the third day, Jemma broke. She had a feeling that this was going to be happening a lot given their current situation. She knew that there was pressure on a handful of students—even Ruby, who seemed not to care about anything but was most likely still shaken when Melinda recruited her for the team (even though everyone still basically hated her)—and Daisy faced more pressure than anyone else.

"Why can't you just face your emotions, for fuck's sake?!" Jemma shouted at her as they were both getting ready for classes. Daisy froze as she was pulling up a pair of leggings, her eyes wide with surprise and she nearly toppled over before finally shoving her second leg into the pants and standing up.

"I—what?" she asked dumbly.

Jemma sighed in frustration. "Daisy, everyone is worried about you. You've just been going through the motions, but even though we try to get you to talk, you say _nothing_. You're obviously feeling _something_ that you don't want to face, and that's bad, Daisy! You need to tell _someone_, even if it's not me." She plopped down onto her bed and folded her arms across her chest while looking at Daisy pointedly.

Sighing, Daisy started to pull on her socks. "It's just been so much," she said quietly. "I just need time to process, okay?" With an understanding nod, Jemma immediately resigned from the conversation and returned to packing her bag for the day.

"At least just—" Jemma paused for a while, staring at the floor, not yet knowing if it was her place or not to mention. "At least just talk to Professor May." Daisy nodded, a silent promise that meant the world to Jemma and resulted in a huge responsibility for Daisy.

"Come in," Melinda called in response to the knock on her door. A small smile spread across her face when she saw Daisy timidly enter her office. She knew that things had been strained between them since Daisy told her about her "gay feelings" which Melinda knew was code for romantic feelings. Melinda had no idea how to respond, and apparently after Daisy had recovered she also did not know how to deal with the confession either.

Daisy smiled back at her as she moved the chair to sit next to her. "Are we training today?" she asked, mindlessly drumming her fingers against the arm of the chair. Melinda shook her head.

"Figured we could extend our break to today, maybe grab lunch," she said. Daisy looked at her with a bright smile that Melinda had missed over the last couple of days.

"Fine, but you have to take me to a real restaurant," Daisy told her.

"Oh, like a date?" Melinda replied playfully, although Daisy slightly stiffened as she found herself almost saying yes. Melinda noticed, and sat back into her chair. "Are you okay?" Daisy nodded and Melinda sighed at her. "Look, I get that you don't want to talk about what happened to you—it was a terrifying thing to deal with, and there's the whole situation with your father, but I'm here if you do want to talk," she told her.

A soft, appreciative sigh escaped from Daisy's lips as Melinda closed a hand over hers. "Thank you," she said quietly. "Let's go get lunch; I'm starving. And…maybe, if you're okay with it, then yeah…like a date."

The restaurant was nicer than Daisy had been expecting, and the little thought made her stomach flutter as she was sure Melinda only chose the place after the whole "date" aspect had been established. Her hands shook slightly with nerves as she held the menu up, occasionally glancing over the top of it to watch Melinda.

"Fury's letting the team leave for Thanksgiving break as long as we all check in daily," Melinda stated as they both continued looking over the menu. She looked up at Daisy. "Any plans?"

Daisy shook her head. "Considering the fact that the mother I've never met is apparently psychotic and my birth father that I _have_ met but wish I didn't currently lives in a basement, I think it's safe to say I'll probably just be in my dorm for the entire week. What about you?"

A surprisingly-chipper waiter approached their table and they placed their drink orders before turning back to each other as he walked away. "My parents are out of the country so I was just going to have a small Thanksgiving dinner at my apartment with Natasha, Maria, Wanda, and whoever else is staying in the city."

Daisy blinked a few times. "…You have an apartment? Why do you stay on campus?" she asked.

"This isn't the first year that we've had security issues at the university. I would stay on campus during the week and go home on the weekends, to be close enough in case anything happened. And, well, then the shooting happened and Fury asked me to live on campus full time," she said without looking up from the menu. Then, "Are you ready to order?"

The waiter was coming back to their table and the two of them placed their orders. Daisy looked back to Melinda. "I can't believe you have an apartment and I didn't even know about it," she said.

Melinda smirked at her. "How could you? This is only our first date," she countered. Daisy blushed in response.

Daisy was lying lazily on the bed in Melinda's on-campus residence, her limbs fully stretched out with a small smile on her face. A few minutes later, Melinda entered the room, dressed but with her hair still wrapped up in a towel.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked the younger woman as she grabbed the brush on her nightstand.

She hummed thoughtfully before saying, "I just was thinking that we might be moving too fast." Melinda paused at this and raised an eyebrow. "I mean, after all, sleeping with a woman after the first date? Not very classy."

Melinda smiled and rolled her eyes at Daisy before she sat on the edge of the bed. "So, I was thinking…" Daisy sat up at her tone, immediately worried. "If you don't want to stay on campus alone you could always stay with me." The words were rushed, and red tinged Melinda's cheeks as she looked anywhere but at Daisy.

The air was thick with discomfort as Daisy tried to quickly weigh her options. Was staying with Melinda—_off-campus_—for a week going to make things awkward after? Or was it just going to be an amazing week filled with mind-blowing sex?

(She made a mental note to figure out her priorities, since thinking first about awkwardness and sex made her believe there was something wrong with her thought process.)

"Thanks," Daisy said softly.

Melinda seemed concerned. "Is that a 'thanks' as in 'yes, sounds great' or as in 'why would you even think that would be a good idea?'"

"No!" Daisy nearly shrieked. "No, no, I'd love it. Beats eating pizza in my bed alone at two in the morning." They both laughed lightly.

Jemma was zipping her final suitcase closed when Bobbi walked through their opened door. "Ready, babe?" she asked. Daisy smiled when Jemma nodded with a bright, enthusiastic smile on her face and Bobbi pressed a kiss to her cheek before turning to face Daisy. "Hey," she said kindly.

"Hi. Off to the UK, huh? Nervous to meet the parents?" she questioned.

Bobbi blushed and sighed. "A little. From what Jemma has told me, though, I doubt they can be any worse than mine," Bobbi told her.

"Preaching to the choir," Daisy joked, although Bobbi and Jemma both frowned slightly at the comment. "Oh, don't worry—I'm totally fine." She knew how unconvincing she sounded, but she did not want to give the two women—who finally were taking a huge step in their relationship—any reason to worry.

"Are you sure you'll be all right here on your own? I know that you were concerned with money, but I really don't mind paying for your plane ticket," Jemma said. Daisy shook her head.

"No, no, it's fine. I'm actually, uh, not going to be staying on campus…" Jemma tilted her head to the side, waiting for Daisy to continue. The brunette bit her lip as she tried to force the words out—the words that were going to give Jemma the ultimate material to tease her with. "I'm staying with Melinda for the week. She has an apartment off-campus," she mumbled.

Jemma fought a smile. "Sorry, what?" Daisy repeated her statement. "Daisy! That is _adorable_. So are you two officially dating? Or is it just going to be, like, a fun, casual thing?"

"We went on our first actual date a few days ago, kind of because of that deathbed confession—"

"You had a mild concussion," Bobbi interrupted.

"—As I was saying, we went out, and starting talking about break, and her parents are out of the country so she's staying at her apartment and asked if I want to spend the break at her place. And on Thanksgiving apparently she's having some people over," Daisy finished.

"So you're basically meeting her family?! I'm happy for you, Daisy!" Jemma gushed.

Daisy rolled her eyes. "It's not as exciting as it sounds. It's just…I don't know. It's like a sleepover." Bobbi snorted and Daisy glared at her.

"I'm going to miss you," Jemma said suddenly with a frown.

Daisy pulled her into a tight hug and kissed her cheek, and then hugged Bobbi. "You'll do fine, her parents are great," she whispered to the blonde. Bobbi gave her an appreciative smile and slight nod before moving to help Jemma with her bags.


	14. Chapter 14

Melinda's apartment was actually one side of a two-family home, and the size of her half was larger than most houses Daisy has ever seen. There were four floors—what the _fuck_—and more rooms than she was able to count. Melinda had seen the look of wonder on her face and explained that she occasionally rented out some of the rooms to her friends who only had on-campus residences (mainly just Natasha, Wanda, and Maria).

Apparently, all three women were supposed to spend the night on Thanksgiving and Daisy, Melinda, and Wanda had agreed to join in Natasha and Maria's annual celebration—getting extremely drunk off of wine after dinner, sleeping for two hours, and then leaving the house at two in the morning for Black Friday.

Daisy was currently sitting on the couch in the large living room, watching some movie on Netflix that she was not paying enough attention to while she waited for Melinda to return from the grocery store. About fifteen minutes later, she heard a key turn in the lock, and she sprinted to her feet.

"Hey," Melinda greeted with a smile. Daisy pressed a kiss to her cheek as she brushed past her to help unload the groceries from the car. As they passed each other once again, Melinda said, "Is chicken parm okay for dinner?"

Daisy looked at her with wide eyes. "You know how to cook?"

"…Do you not know how to cook?" she asked, equally as shocked. Daisy shook her head in response with a shy smile.

It was that simple shake of her head that led to Daisy finding herself stirring spaghetti in a pot as Melinda prepared a strainer. The timer for the chicken was counting down the last forty-five seconds as Daisy brought the pot over to the strainer in the sink.

As they were sitting down and eating, Melinda perked up. "Spaghetti's not over or undercooked. Congratulations—you're a chef," she complimented with a playful smile.

Daisy rolled her eyes. "Oh, God, does this mean you're going to make me help you guys cook on Thursday? Because I'm really not looking forward to ruining dinner," she said. Melinda laughed in response.

Melinda was on the couch scrolling through Netflix for a good movie to watch while Daisy cleared the table and started on the dishes. She smiled contentedly as she hummed softly to herself, ignoring the light weight in her stomach at the thought of just how _domestic_ all of it was and whether or not she was okay with that. Her biggest fear, though, was that Melinda would realize it and get freaked out enough to kick her back to her dorm for break.

Her thoughts melted away when she felt Melinda wrap her arms around her waist and press a light kiss to the side of her neck before resting her chin on her shoulder. "I told you I'd take care of it later," she said.

"You made dinner; all I did was stir some spaghetti. I figured it was fair for me to clean up," Daisy told her.

"Hey, don't sell yourself short. You also strained it."

Daisy rolled her eyes and twirled around in Melinda's arm after she cleaned the last dish. She reached behind her to dry her hands quickly on a towel and then placed her arms around Melinda's shoulders. "You're definitely going to make me help on Thursday, aren't you?"

"Absolutely. You're not getting out of it," Melinda replied as she pressed a chaste kiss to her lips before moving to walk away. Daisy tightened her arms around her shoulders with a small pout, trapping Melinda where she was and pressing a harder kiss against the older woman's lips. Melinda pulled away with a smirk on her face. "Really? In the kitchen?"

Daisy backed Melinda up and lifted her hips up until she was sitting on the recently-cleaned table. She leaned forward to kiss her again, swiping her tongue across her lower lip before Melinda opened her mouth slightly for their tongues to clash. She moved her mouth eagerly down to Melinda's neck as she frantically started unbuttoning her jeans. "Yes," she breathed against Melinda's lips, "in the kitchen."

She lifted Melinda's shirt over her head and pressed open-mouthed kisses across her chest. Melinda lifted her hips off the table so Daisy could take her jeans off before slipped a hand between her legs to trace her inner thigh. She grinned when Melinda spread her legs, encouraging her, and she gracefully dropped down and pressed a kiss against the older woman's thigh.

"You were right," Melinda said breathlessly as she tangled her fingers into Daisy's hair. "You do look good on your knees."

The next morning, Daisy had rummaged through Melinda's fridge so that she was able to toss together the only breakfast foods she actually knew how to make—eggs, bacon, and toast. The toast came out slightly burnt and the bacon was a little bit too chewy, but she was still proud of herself nonetheless, especially because she had woken up at four in the morning.

She had a feeling that despite the fact that it was break, Melinda was still going to be waking up at five in the morning. _Maybe,_ Daisy thought, _she'll sleep in until six._ A small chuckle left her lips at the idea of that being Melinda's version of sleeping in.

Apparently, though, all of her suspicions were correct. Just as she was walking into Melinda's bedroom—she had insisted on staying in the guest room for at least the first night, feeling too awkward about herself to sleep in Melinda's room in her _actual apartment_—Melinda's alarm began to go off and the professor shut it off and swiftly sat up in bed.

She seemed startled, at first, when she saw Daisy's silhouette coming into her room, but she relaxed when she realized who it was. "You can turn the light on," she said through the darkness. Daisy obliged, flicking on the light and watching as Melinda quickly adjusted to the light. When she finally saw what Daisy was carrying, a grateful smile stretched across her face. "I thought you didn't know how to cook."

Daisy sat the tray on top of Melinda's legs and kissed her. "Besides mac and cheese, these are the only foods I know how to make…but the toast is kind of burnt and the bacon is undercooked. You've been warned."

With a roll of her eyes, Melinda patted the spot next to her in the bed and Daisy sat down, grabbing her own plate from the tray but leaving her glass of orange juice behind. She ate quickly, something she had to get used to while living in foster homes with over three other hungry kids, and she tried not to notice the fact that Melinda did not watch her or judge her.

When they both finally finished, Melinda grabbed Daisy's plate from her and put it on the tray on top of her nightstand before standing up and stretching. "I'm going to take a shower," she said pointedly, throwing a smirk over her shoulder before stripping her shirt and walking to the bathroom connected to her room.

Daisy rolled her eyes and smiled before hurrying out of her clothes.

After their shower, Melinda left Daisy to do tai chi and exercise—Daisy tried not to be in awe of the fact that she had _an entire room _that basically acted as a gym—and Daisy decided to watch television in Melinda's room (how many fucking televisions did this woman own?!). She found herself distracted by the enveloping scent of Melinda on the sheets, and she pretended that when she crawled under the large comforter it was because she was cold, and not because she wanted to feel as though she was being held by the other woman.

When Melinda finally returned to her bedroom, she found Daisy fast asleep in her bed, and she smiled at the sleeping woman affectionately. She knew Daisy hated waking up early on their training days and that, if ever given the chance, would sleep in until she was ready. The fact that the younger woman even bothered to wake up earlier than Melinda to make breakfast made her chest burst with something that had long become almost unfamiliar.

Instead of leaving the room, Melinda slid into her usual side of the bed, keeping a decent amount of space between the two of them, and focused on whatever show Daisy was watching on her television. It only took about ten minutes before Daisy, despite being asleep, somehow sensed her presence and groaned while practically flinging herself into the side of Melinda's leg. She threw an arm around her legs and rested her cheek against Melinda's thigh.

Absentmindedly, while still watching the show that Daisy had fallen asleep to (she had actually started getting quite invested in it), Melinda began threading her fingers through the sleeping woman's hair. She was spurred on by the soft, content sounds that occasionally left Daisy as she played with her hair.

When the episode had ended, Melinda decided to start the show from the beginning instead of where Daisy was in the middle. By the end of the third episode, she was slightly upset that the show—_Person of Interest_—did not feature the same two female characters that were in the episodes Daisy had been watching.

"If you're mostly interested in Root and Shaw, you need to start at season two, episode sixteen, called 'Relevance'," a soft, tired voice said. Melinda looked down at Daisy, whose tired eyes were watching the television. "But once you finish the series after that episode, watching it from the beginning makes it even better—but stick to that order," she continued before finally yawning.

Melinda smiled as she looked at Daisy and brushed stray strands of hair from her face, already frizzy from sleep despite their shower. "How did you know?"

A laugh escaped Daisy. "It's what I did," she admitted. "After watching from Relevance, watching season one and the first parts of season two actually make the show better. Makes you feel for Reese more, really," she said.

"Well, I've only seen a few episodes from season one, plus two from where you left o—"

"Seriously, Melinda?! You better put it back to where I left off!" Daisy interrupted, shooting upright in the bed, clearly fully awakened by that point.

It was one of the few times that Daisy had called her by her first name, mostly by Melinda's request, but at this point she knew it would have been stupid to tell Daisy to correct herself. She knew, at that point, that it was actually more than just sex—there were feelings there, felt by both of them, and Daisy had earned the right to call her by her first name.

Other than her friends, Daisy was one of the few people who were able to call her by her first name (credited to their current romantic relationship). Even Coulson had called her May—professionally, anyway—during their brief months together. Anytime he called her Melinda while they were together without being "in the throws" she shot him a disapproving look until he backtracked and called her May again.

The fact that Daisy had so effortlessly called her by her first name—such an intimate concept to Melinda that she rarely admitted to anyone and blamed only on professionalism—caused flutters in her stomach that she knew she was going to have to address to herself eventually. She hoped that Daisy did not recognize the expression on her face, and she swallowed down any emotion she was feeling.

"Relax," Melinda said easily, "I remember where you were in the show. I was going to change it back when you woke up." True to her word, and before Daisy was able to counter, Melinda switched the show back to the episode that Daisy had left off on before returning the television to Netflix's home screen. "Do you want to watch something else or are you ready for lunch?"

Daisy was surprised when her stomach growled at the mention of lunch—did they not eat twenty minutes ago? She glanced over at Melinda's alarm clock and realized that it was already noon. "What the _hell_? You let me sleep for this long?!"

With a laugh, Melinda nodded. "You obviously needed it."

"Whatever," Daisy said. However, Melinda watched her carefully, waiting for a real response, and Daisy groaned. "Yeah, sure, lunch is fine, as long as we get to eat it in bed." She raised her eyes to the ceiling playfully and Melinda shook her head as she laughed again.

"Sandwiches okay? Or do you want something more elaborate?" she asked.

"Sandwiches are fine, babe." The word slipped out unexpectedly, but neither women were bothered by it at all. Instead, Melinda just smiled brightly before waltzing out of the room to prepare their lunch.

Daisy reached for the remote, although as soon as she felt it in her hand, she froze. Jemma flashed through her mind, grabbing a similar-looking remote, before being swept away by something. She heard Bobbi screaming, glass shattering, the unmistakable sounds of struggle.

When Melinda came back into the room, she saw the paled look on her face. Daisy slowly raised her eyes to look at Melinda. "I think we have a problem."

Bobbi's leg shook anxiously as she sat in the living room of Jemma's childhood home. "It'll be okay, Bobbi. They're going to love you." Bobbi was not entirely convinced of Jemma's words until a few days later, during game night, when Bobbi and Jemma's mother won the round of charades and her mother told Bobbi how happy she was to welcome her into the family.

It was something that Bobbi had never expected—parents did not usually like her, ever, and hearing the words immediately brought tears to her eyes. She was even more shocked when Jemma's mother embraced her in a warm, kind hug that made her feel like maybe with Jemma she was finally going to have a _home_.

That same night, Jemma's parents had gone out to dinner together, leaving the two of them alone in the house. Bobbi finally allowed her curiosity to get the best of her as she started roaming the house, flipping through old photo albums. Jemma stayed on the couch, laughing occasionally when Bobbi made fun of how she looked in grade school.

After Bobbi felt satisfied—and mostly just bored of the activity—she set the last photo album back in its place on the mantel over the fireplace and sat next to Jemma. Jemma pulled her girlfriend's legs onto her lap and Bobbi kissed her cheek. She was already unable to remember the last time she was so vulnerable, so close, with someone like she was with Jemma. For God's sake, her parents actually _liked her_.

She was so surprised at feeling so incredibly _content_ with Jemma, already so in love with her. It scared her at the same time, but she knew the fear was worth it. And to think—if she had not heard some comment that Daisy mumbled under her breath a few months ago, she never would have had the courage to act on her feelings and believe that Jemma felt the same way, too.

With a happy sigh, she leaned her head against Jemma's shoulder just as the other woman reached for the remote to the television. Just as she wrapped her hand around the remote, a window shattered behind them, and strong hands grabbed Jemma, pulling her over the couch and into darkness—had they put a hood over her head? She still felt conscious, could hear Bobbi as she fought their assailants, as she knocked things around the house. More glass shattered—probably a lamp or another window, and then she really was in darkness, unconscious.


	15. Chapter 15

The only people in the gym were Fury and Melinda's team—minus, of course, Bobbi and Jemma. Everyone else had been close enough to return to campus within an hour of Melinda's call warning them about Jemma and Bobbi.

"When were they taken?" Fury asked.

Without thinking, Daisy stepped forward. "Eleven hours ago. They are already back in the US, probably within an hour's drive away. They want to exchange Jemma and Bobbi for me and Cal." The words came out faster than she was able to, and she gasped when she finally finished speaking. She looked up at Melinda. "How did I know all of that?"

Melinda offered a sympathetic smile, although Daisy was unable to ignore the hint of mistimed pride. "You're finally gaining control over your powers," she said softly.

"Let's keep focus people!" Fury boomed. Daisy and Melinda broke eye contact to look back at Fury, who seemed almost as enraged as the team.

They had all been training together long enough to call each other friends—or, at the very, _very_ least, acquaintances—and the abduction of Jemma and Bobbi did not weigh lightly on anyone. Fitz, whom Daisy ever thought possible of anger, had his jaw clenched and fists balled since he entered the gym. Shocks of electricity occasionally danced on Lincoln's fingertips despite him trying his best to have had his powers under control. At every mention of their names, red swirls surrounded Wanda, and the intense energy that it gave off made Daisy dizzy. Even Natasha and Maria were visibly tense and on edge.

Coulson—who was the least attached to Jemma and Bobbi—seemed generally stoic, just as Melinda did, although everyone saw it in their eyes, the flash of determination to reunite their team under the best circumstances possible. Hell, even _Ruby fucking Hale _seemed upset that Jemma and Bobbi had been taken. It made Daisy grateful for the people surrounding her. Still, Fury was correct—they had to stop distracting themselves and focus. Daisy only knew a portion of the information. More of it, however, was possibly attainable by Ruby.

Just as Ruby was beginning to concentrate, all of her maps and her globe in front of her, a voice called, "Don't tell me you guys started without me!" Everyone spun, ready to attack, until they saw Cal walking through the entrance of the gym. Daisy rolled her eyes, subconsciously leaning towards Melinda.

Without anyone greeting Cal, Ruby went back to trying to locate Jemma and Bobbi. After a few minutes of frustrated sighs, Ruby swiped the maps away with an annoyed shriek, sending papers and thumbtacks flying. "Whoever's cloaking them is too strong," she said through gritted teeth.

Daisy looked at Melinda. "You said I siphon energy from outside magic, right?" In confusion, Melinda nodded. "Couldn't I just, like, siphon that magical energy but…put it somewhere else instead of myself?" Daisy asked. "Like…couldn't I siphon whatever energy is in the gym and then just kind of, like, put it into Ruby so she can overpower whoever is 'cloaking' them or whatever?"

"The last person who attempted that died painfully," Fury said as he stepped up next to Daisy. "The power-transfer was, however, successful."

"Isn't it essentially the same thing as sharing energy? Like, that training exercise we did during my first few weeks here? Can't I just direct it back into Ruby like I did to you?" Daisy asked Melinda. An uncomfortable silence fell over the gym, and Daisy shifted in her place. "What?" she questioned innocently, not knowing why everyone fell so quiet.

"You…you were able to push your energy back into Professor May?" Fury stepped forward as he spoke, and Daisy nodded her head dumbfounded. He then turned to Melinda. "How long has this been going on?" His tone was more serious, that of the dean of college instead of the director of the team.

Melinda's jaw clenched and she stared Fury down, looking straight into his eyes. "How long has what been going on?"

Fury's voice was full of disappointment. "Melinda," he said briskly.

"_Nick_," Melinda responded in the same tone. "If we're thinking of the same thing, then you need to know—it was _not_ because of me. She's probably just that powerful of a siphon witch."

Daisy had no idea what was going on, and she hated that everyone else seemed to glance back and forth between Daisy, Melinda, and Fury with knowing looks. "Can someone fill me in?" Her voice sounded pathetic even to her, but when Fury and Melinda turned to her, she knew that she sounded probably just pathetic enough for a response.

And…no response came. At least, not until Cal stepped forward, a heavy sigh leaving his lips. "Energy-sharing is an easy task for normal witches that don't rely on siphoning energy. But for a siphon witch—well, it's easy to _take_ power, but as Fury mentioned, sending that energy back into someone else is almost always fatal. If you _were_ able to siphon energy from something and place it into someone or something else, that means…well, it means you either had a severely emotional bond to whatever or whoever it was, or you're _just that _powerful," he explained.

She refused to look at him, even while he spoke, her anger towards him too strong to betray her rationality. "Well, I guess I'm just powerful," she said suddenly. Despite all of the eyes on her, she refused to look at anyone except for Ruby. She stalked towards where the freshman was still sitting on the floor.

Daisy gathered the maps and thumbtacks back together in front of Ruby. "Daisy, wait—" Melinda's warning was lost on her as she dropped down in front of Ruby and grabbed one of her hands. The entire gym fell silent, afraid to interfere, especially with what Fury had said.

With great concentration, Daisy allowed herself to feel the energy in the room creep into her body. She did just as Melinda had told her during their earliest training sessions. She felt the energy in the center of her chest, and she felt it slowly walk its way up to her shoulders, then down her arms, and into her hands that were clasped around Ruby's own.

The "exchange" left Daisy sprawled across the gym floor, coughing up blood violently, as Ruby was hunched over her maps, completely unfazed by everything around her. Melinda rushed forward first and tried to raise Daisy to her feet. She glanced over at Ruby, trying to understand how the blonde was so willing to let this pass her by, and it was then that she realized the glazed over irises.

Once on her feet, Daisy continued to cough, although no more blood came up, and Melinda sighed with relief as the younger woman eventually calmed down enough to breathe regularly. She was still weak on her feet, and Melinda guided her gently onto the floor, brushing her face out of her hair and whispering to her that she was going to be okay. Fury pretended not to notice, knowing that bringing it up meant dealing with a defensive Melinda—and probably Natasha and Maria as well, considering how close the three of them were.

"They're on their way here," Ruby said. The glaze over her eyes faded and her eyes widened as her eyes searched around the gym. "Holy shit…that was trippy."

Cal was standing off to the side, ready to jump towards Daisy if needed, but thankfully he seemed to know his place. He was very clearly upset and concerned for his daughter, but he feared the backlash if he stepped out of place and tried to make sure she was okay. "May," he whispered. Daisy was still too out of it to hear anything clearly, but Melinda turned and looked at him. "She, uh, she'll be okay, right?" he asked.

The brokenness in his voice was enough for Melinda to be convinced that he actually cared, and she nodded at him before turning her attention back to Daisy. Daisy was starting to come to, finally, just as Fury was giving out orders for what to do about the impending threat.

"Stop," Cal said suddenly. Everyone turned to stare at him. "They can't raise Pachakutiq with just me. They need Daisy, too. Let them take me—offer only me in exchange for your two team members."

Fury shook his head. "Cal, this is absurd! We—"

"Fury." The name came as more of a warning than anything, and it made Fury stop speaking. "I'm serious. They only know a portion of the story, of how Daisy would be involved…they believe that the most important part of their puzzle is me. So, sell me. They'll willingly take me with or without Daisy, I know it," he said.

"Why?" Daisy asked, her voice still strained. "Why would you do that?"

Cal offered her a small, sad smile. "They're important to you," he said. He was already headed towards the door, an expectant look on his face when he glanced to Fury.

With a nod, Fury started towards him. "We'll trade Cal for Jemma and Bobbi," he said with assurance.

"No, wait!" Daisy exclaimed. "You can't just—I don't understand!"

Still smiling, Cal walked up to her and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "It'll be okay, Daisy. You'll find me soon."

With that, Cal and Fury left the gym. Over his shoulder, Fury threw strict orders for everyone to stay where they were. Daisy felt mostly safe in Melinda's arms that enveloped her, but guilt tugged at her stomach as she watched her father leave the gym, hell-bent on sacrificing himself solely because the people at risk meant something to her.

_Is this what a father is supposed to do?_


End file.
